Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appealing to North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test and do more for the well-being of its people who face a “dire” humanitarian situation.

He told a group of journalists on Thursday that the United Nations has been trying to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea, but because of the crisis over a possible nuclear test and tensions on the Korean peninsula the response from international donors has been very low.

As a result, Ban said, he needs to tap into the UN emergency relief fund for money to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea.

He again urged key nations that have been trying to rein in the North’s nuclear program to call on Pyongyang to refrain from “any provocative measures, like conducting nuclear tests.”