News stories by Mark Lowcock

  1. The World’s Worst Food Crisis for Decades – and What to do About It

    - Inter Press Service

    LONDON, Jun 08 (IPS) - This is what happens when you starve. With no food, the body’s metabolism slows down to preserve energy for vital organs. Hungry and weak, people often become fatigued, irritable and confused.

    The immune system loses strength. As they starve, people—especially children—are likelier to fall sick or die from diseases they may have otherwise resisted. Cholera, respiratory infections, malaria, dengue, and diphtheria kill more people in famines than starvation itself.

  2. Sahel in the Throes of a Major Humanitarian Crisis

    - Inter Press Service

    A story from Inter Press Service, an international news agency

    UNITED NATIONS, Jun 13 (IPS) - Mark Lowcock is UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief CoordinatorI am increasingly concerned by the situation in the Sahel. In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, nearly 6 million people are struggling to meet their daily food needs. Severe malnutrition threatens the lives of 1.6 million children. These are levels unseen since the crisis of 2012, and the most critical months are still ahead.

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  • Inter Press Service International News Agency
  • UN News