US intends to nominate an American to UN World Food Programme

It says the candidate will be announced soon

Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, speaks during a launch of a report "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World", at a special G20 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 24, 2024. REUTERS/Tita Barros/File Photo

The United States intends to nominate an American to lead the United Nations World Food Programme in coming weeks, a State Department spokesperson said, after Cindy McCain said on Thursday that she intends to step down as head of the programme.

"The United States can confirm that it will be nominating a highly-qualified American to lead the ... WFP, continuing America’s tradition of excellence and responsible stewardship of the organisation. The candidate will be announced in the coming weeks," the spokesperson said.

The United States is traditionally the largest donor to WFP. The programme is headed by an executive director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for a five-year term, according to the programme's website.

A UN spokesperson said McCain will remain in office for three months, adding: "From there, the normal selection process for an Executive Director of the World Food Programme will follow its course."

McCain, 71, widow of the late US Republican Senator John McCain, took up the job in 2023 after serving as US ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture.

McCain said in a statement that while she had hoped to finish out her term, her health had not recovered fully. She suffered a mild stroke in October.