ROME, 7 November: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the head of the organizations largest agricultural agency have jointly appointed a new chief for the World Food Programme, officials announced at WFPs headquarters in Rome Tuesday.
The WFPs Executive Board welcomed the appointment of Josette Sheeran, currently the United States Under Secretary of State, Economic, Business and Economic Affairs, said Mirza Qamar Beg, Board President and Ambassador of Pakistan.
– Ms. Sheeran has outstanding credentials. WFPs Member States look forward to working with her to bring assistance to the millions of people who struggle with hunger daily, Mr. Beg said.
– Ms. Sheeran has outstanding credentials, said the food agencys current Executive Director James Morris, who remains in office until the end of the year.
– I have great confidence in Ms. Sheeran – her dedication and humanitarian commitment will help WFP mobilize widespread support and concern for the millions of people worldwide who suffer from hunger each day, added he.
Ms. Sheeran will take office at the beginning of 2007. Prior to her current job as under secretary of state, Ms. Sheeran was Deputy US Trade Representative, the managing director of a Wall Street-listed technology company, the president of a Washington DC think tank, and managing editor of the conservative Washington Times newspaper.
Ambassador George McGovern, who helped found WFP in 1963, lauded her dedication, adding that “Josette Sheeran has expressed great personal concern about the global poor and finding innovative programmes and policies to empower them so they can lift themselves out of poverty.”
The WFP is the worlds largest humanitarian agency. Last year, it assisted 97 million people, with a total expenditure of 3,1 billion US dollar, offering food aid in emergencies and protecting the health and nutrition of at-risk women and children.
US is traditionally the biggest donor to WFP.
Kilde: FNs nyhedstjeneste
