Accessibility links

Breaking News
USA

McCain Leading World Food Program 


FILE - Cindy McCain visits the Kalobeyei reception center during her visit to assess the drought conditions and food security at the Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana county, Kenya, March 17, 2022.
FILE - Cindy McCain visits the Kalobeyei reception center during her visit to assess the drought conditions and food security at the Kakuma refugee camp in Turkana county, Kenya, March 17, 2022.

Cindy McCain took over Wednesday as the new head of the World Food Program.

She said in a statement her priorities for the U.N. agency were increasing its resources, improving its effectiveness and scaling up partnerships and innovation.

McCain begins her tenure at a time when the World Food Program estimates more than 345 million people are facing a food insecurity crisis.

“We need even closer collaboration with our partners to reverse this unparalleled crisis,” McCain said. “Today we are asking new friends — especially from the private sector — to step up and join us. The world must not turn its back on the hungry.”

McCain has been the U.S. ambassador to the three U.N. food and agriculture agencies in Rome since 2021. She is the widow of former U.S. Senator John McCain.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG