A U.S. government advisory agency is calling on the Bush administration to launch a major international initiative to raise awareness about alleged human rights abuses in North Korea.

Speaking before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, Felice Gaer, chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said North Korea is a "humanitarian disaster of unimaginable proportions."

Gaer urged the administration and Congress to get actively involved in the North's human rights issues through government reporting, congressional engagement and multilateral diplomacy. She also argued for expanded funding for organizations advocating the protection of human rights in North Korea.