Cindy McCain will lead the UN World Food Program

Cindy McCain to head UN World Food Programannounced on Thursday the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.

A longtime friend of US President Joe Biden and widow of the late Republican US Senator John McCain, Cindy McCain will replace CEO David Beasley.

Beasley, the former Republican governor of South Carolina, resigns April 4 after his six-year term expires.

McCain is currently the US ambassador to UN food and agriculture agencies and has been involved in humanitarian work for years.

McCain says honored to take office

McCain, 68, tweeted that she was “deeply honored” to take on the role of the organization’s new executive director.

Beasley tweeted that McCain’s experience and leadership would be “critical as conflict, climate shocks and famine escalate”.

“We look forward to working together, our transition will be seamless!” he added.

McCain takes command of the Rome-based UN agency.

The World Food Program relies heavily on the US for funding to carry out its work globally.

leading humanitarian organization

McCain was considered the first choice to lead the organization, Devex media first reported last month.

While the World Food Program has striven to remain apolitical, McCain brings good relations with Democratic and Republican lawmakers to the table.

It is a global leader as a humanitarian organization, with a focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, and development assistance, critically in conflict zones.

The UN agency won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 and provided aid to 158 million people in 2022.

Recently, an increasing number of conflicts and economic turmoil have led to a sharp increase in the number of people who are acutely food insecure – nearly 200 million since before the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States is the largest contributor to the organization, followed by Germany, Canada and Sweden.

rm/air (Reuters, AFP)