Summary: The U.S. government has confirmed it intends to nominate an American to head the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), with a candidate to be announced in the coming weeks. The move comes after the current executive director, Cindy McCain, said she would leave the post in three months as she recovers from health issues.
A State Department spokesperson said the United States will be nominating a "highly-qualified American" to lead the WFP, noting that the selection would continue "America’s tradition of excellence and responsible stewardship of the organization." The spokesperson added that the nominee will be announced in the coming weeks.
The WFP is typically led by an executive director who serves a five-year term. That appointment is made jointly by the U.N. Secretary-General and the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, according to the program’s website.
The U.S. has historically been the largest donor to the WFP, a fact the State Department statement highlighted by stressing continuity in stewardship. The WFP itself said that McCain would step down in three months.
McCain, 71, who became WFP executive director in 2023 after serving as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. agencies for food and agriculture, said in a statement that she had hoped to complete her term but that her health had not fully recovered. The statement noted she suffered a mild stroke in October.
A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had not immediately responded to a request for comment, according to the communication received by the State Department.
This development sets in motion an appointment process that requires coordination between the U.N. Secretary-General and the head of the Food and Agriculture Organization. The United States has signaled it will present an American nominee for the role, with the formal announcement of the candidate expected within weeks.