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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth Secretary-General calls for immediate action to avert famine in Southern Africa

13 May 2002

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon today urged the international community to take immediate action to save millions of people from starvation in Southern Africa. "Nearly four million lives are at risk. It is our collective responsibility to act now and help avert a huge crisis," said Mr McKinnon.

"I appeal to all Commonwealth countries and to the international community as a whole to show solidarity and increase food aid and other humanitarian relief to the Southern African region."
Severe food shortages are occurring in several Commonwealth countries, including Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Years of erratic rainfall and poor harvests are among the factors responsible for the current crisis.


Note to Editors:
The United Nations World Food Programme reports that nearly four million people face starvation in Southern Africa. Drought, adverse weather conditions and poor harvests in 2001 are the major causes of the acute shortage of food in the region. In 2001, harvests in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe experienced a 25-30% drop compared to the previous year.

For media enquiries contact Minelle Fernandez (tel: +44 (0) 20 7747 6383)

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