Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu announced on 2 March their appointment of Cindy H. McCain of the United States as Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), at the Under-Secretary-General level, succeeding?David Beasley of the United States.
Currently serving as the United States Ambassador to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies in Rome,?the wife of the late US Senator and Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, said in a statement, that she was ¡°deeply honoured¡± to be appointed, noting that the agency has been ¡°part of my life for decades¡±.
Biggest food crisis ever
President of WFPs Executive Board,?Artur Andrzej Pollok, Ambassador of Poland to the agencies in Rome, welcomed her appointment following a special session of the WFP board at their Rome headquarters, saying that she was taking over ¡°at a moment?when the world confronts the most serious food security crisis in modern history?and this leadership role has never been more important.¡±
Ms. McCain is the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University.?She has a long track record in non-profit and humanitarian work, having served on the Board of Directors of Project?C.U.R.E., CARE, Operation Smile, the Halo Trust, and the advisory boards of?Too Small To Fail?and?Warriors and Quiet Waters.
¡°I am?ready to roll up my sleeves and spend time both in Rome and in the field, deepening my understanding of WFP¡¯s vital work, and?making sure it continues to grow to meet the needs of a hungry world,¡±?said Ms. McCain.?
¡®Incredible team¡¯
¡°I can¡¯t wait to work with the incredible team at WFP ¨C?their dedication and commitment to a better world is an inspiration to me, and to us all.¡±
She added that although ¡°the road ahead is daunting, and hunger is on the rise¡±, she was confident that ¡°when we come together as one world, we can save lives.¡±
She will take over from fellow American, David Beasley,?who will have served six years when his term ends on 4 April.
Announcing the appointment at the regular press briefing in New York, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Spokesperson?St¨¦phane Dujarric said the Secretary-General was "deeply grateful for his "important contribution and service" to WFP.
Ms. McCain, he said, was a "champion for human rights" who has "a long history of giving a voice to the voiceless through her humanitarian and philanthropic work."
Rising food insecurity
¡°The increasing number of conflicts, climate shocks, and economic turmoil have led to?a sharp rise in the number of acutely food-insecure people?struggling to get enough food to feed their families ¨C up almost 200 million since before the?coronavirus?pandemic¡±, noted WFP in a press release announcing Ms. McCain¡¯s appointment.
WFP provided?more than 158 million people with food, cash, and vouchers last year, more than in any previous year, and received a record $14 billion?in funding, the agency noted.
In 2020, the emergency food agency was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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