Mark Lowcock
Sir Mark Lowcock Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development | |
---|---|
In office 9 June 2011 – September 2017 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | David Cameron Theresa May |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark Andrew Lowcock 25 July 1962 |
Nationality | British |
Spouse | Julia Watson |
Children | 3 |
Education | Culford School |
Alma mater |
|
Occupation | Economist, accountant |
Sir Mark Andrew Lowcock
Early life and education
Lowcock attended
Professional career
Career in the UK
Lowcock joined the then
Lowcock was appointed
He has made speeches on development, in Delhi (on the future of international development), Karachi (on how to get economic growth in a changing world), Berlin (on development agencies and conflict) and Addis Ababa (on economic development in Ethiopia).[9] As of 2015, Lowcock was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[10]
Lowcock oversaw the department during the period in which the UK increased its aid budget to 0.7% of
Career with the UN
As the under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator (USG/ERC), he was responsible for the oversight of all emergencies requiring United Nations humanitarian assistance. He also acted as the central focal point for governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental relief activities. The ERC also leads the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), a unique inter-agency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key United Nations and non-United Nations humanitarian partners. In a country affected by a disaster or conflict, the ERC may appoint a humanitarian coordinator (HC) to ensure response efforts are well organized. The HC works with government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and affected communities[13]
Since 2019, Lowcock has been a member of the World Economic Forum High-Level Group on Humanitarian Investing, co-chaired by Børge Brende, Kristalina Georgieva and Peter Maurer.[14]
COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Mark Lowcock" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2021) |
In his role as the UN's humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock coordinated the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP). The GHRP is the international community's primary fundraising vehicle to respond to the humanitarian impacts of the virus in
Nearly 250 million acutely vulnerable people across 63 countries are covered by the updated GHRP with needs totaling $10.3 billion. Activity funded by the GHRP includes the delivery of laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and treat those infected, the installation of handwashing stations in camps and settlements, public health information campaigns on how to prevent community transmission, the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line medical workers, training for support services around sexual violence and intimate partner violence, the delivery of food and nutrition programmes, and the creation of airbridges across Africa, Asia and Latin America for the movement of humanitarian workers and supplies.
Publishing career
In August 2020 Troubador Publishing announced the release in January 2021 of Lowcock's book Ten Generations, which they describe as "an extraordinary piece of social and family history". Gordon Brown has praised the book as "... a great achievement ..... eminently readable".[15]
Lowcock has written about his time at the UN in a book, Relief Chief: A Manifesto for Saving Lives in Dire Times, published by the Center for Global Development on 17 May 2022.[16] Rory Stewart described it as "A scrupulously honest, thoughtful testimony on what it takes to fight for effective humanitarian relief by one of the most distinguished international civil servants. Never preaching, avoiding jargon, alert to politics, nuance, and practicality, Lowcock draws strong, impressive, and wise conclusions on how the world could improve its response to the mounting tragedies which surround us."
Other activities
- Trustee, board member and Council member, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy[17]
- Member, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (WHO pandemic board)[18]
- International Gender Champions (IGC), Member[19]
- Fellow, Birkbeck College
- Fellow King's College School, Wimbledon
In January 2022 Lowcock was appointed to chair a Public Inquiry into the Sheffield street tree dispute. The inquiry held live-streamed public hearings in the autumn of 2022. A comprehensive report was published earlier this year.[20]
Recognition
In 2011, Lowcock was appointed
Personal life
Lowcock is married to Julia Watson and has three children.[23]
References
- LOWCOCK, Mark Andrew, Who's Who 2015, A & C Black, 2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014
- ^ "New Year's Honours list 2017" (PDF). Gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 30 December 2016. p. 5. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Secretary-General Appoints Mark Lowcock of United Kingdom Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency Relief Coordinator". United Nations.
- ^ "News". London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Mark Lowcock". Center For Global Development. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Chambers, Joshua (2 November 2011). Interview: Mark Lowcock. Civil Service World. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ Read, Dave (18 December 2012). Mark Lowcock: The Man with a Plan Archived 21 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Public Finance International. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ Government biography Permanent Secretary, Mark Lowcock, Biography. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ Government press release (9 June 2011). New top civil servant for DFID 28 January 2014.
- ^ Government speech transcript (16 October 2012). The Future of International Development Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ Dudman, Jane (14 March 2013). 'On your bike: partnership and engagement at DfID – interview' The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ UN Millennium Project. ‘The 0.7% target: An in-depth look’ Archived 18 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ^ "Ocha Leadership". 27 September 2016.
- ^ World Economic Forum 2019 Annual Meeting launching a new Humanitarian Investing Initiative World Economic Forum, press release of January 18, 2019.
- ^ "Ten Generations - Troubador Book Publishing".
- ISBN 978-1944691097.
- ^ "CIPFA board". www.cipfa.org. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sir". www.gpmb.org. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Members International Gender Champions (IGC).
- ^ "Independent Inquiry into the Street Trees Dispute".
- ^ "LOWCOCK, Mark Andrew". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N3.
- UNOCHA. September 2017.