Ep. 403: Saving Lives in Dire Times
Guest: Mark Lowcock, ex-UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
Ukraine and Russia together produce 10 percent of the world’s wheat.
Combined, they produce more than 112 million tons per year. A significant contribution that is now locked in place as the invasion of Ukraine drags on into a fourth month. Much of that wheat was destined for Africa and other impoverished nations.
“‘So what,’ you may ask?” says Mark Lowcock, a former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. He answers his own question by pointing to the connectedness of those countries, Europe, and North America. Lowcock adds, “People flee their homes in search of food and they go where there is a seemingly abundant supply. When they do, they stress the resources of the countries they flee to.”
Former German ambassador to Russia Rüdiger von Fritsch says, “That is exactly what Putin is doing. His aim is to cause a famine in Africa and create a refugee crisis that will destabilize Europe and its partners.”
Lowcock says, “Putin is using food as a weapon and his actions demand an appropriate response – a response that is humanitarian in spirit and fundamentally important in ensuring stability in numerous regions of the world.”
Stuart McNish invited Mark Lowcock, the author of “Relief Chief: A Manifesto for Saving Lives in Dire Times” to join him for a Conversation That Matters about our collective responsibility to care for others in times of crisis.
