The United Nations announced this Friday the appointment of the American Luke Lindberg as the new executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), thus taking over from Cindy McCain, who led the agency since April 2023 and was forced to leave the position in May due to health issues.
The appointment has been made by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, along with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu, and also has the endorsement of the Executive Board of the WFP itself.
Both Guterres and Qu have expressed their "deep gratitude" to McCain for her work at the helm of the WFP during "one of the most challenging periods in its history," while also highlighting the background and experience that Lindberg will bring to his new responsibility.
For her part, the chairwoman of the Executive Board of the WFP, Carla Barroso Carneiro, has conveyed her congratulations to Lindberg and wished him "success." "Addressing hunger in the world together has never been so urgent, and I look forward to your collaboration with the Executive Board of the WFP to guide the organization in its fundamental mandate to save and transform lives," she concluded.