UN accepts Trump nominee to head World Food Programme

A logo of the World Food Programme is seen at their headquarters, in Rome, Italy October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

GENEVA, Sept 15 - United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has accepted Trump nominee Luke Lindberg from among dozens of candidates to lead the World Food Programme, a document showed and a U.N. official confirmed on Tuesday.

• Lindberg, a senior U.S. agricultural official, was recommended by Guterres and Qu Dongyu, a Chinese national heading the Food and Agriculture Organization, according to a September 11 letter to the head of the WFP board.

• Some 54 candidates applied for the job, according to the letter, which did not name them. Nine were shortlisted.

• U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq confirmed to Reuters that the organisation had accepted a recommendation for the role from a hiring panel, transmitted that recommendation to the WFP, and was waiting for the board's response.

• A U.N. official said the nomination, first reported by Devex, was expected to be confirmed by the WFP board on Friday.

• The White House and State Department had no immediate comment.

• Nearly 300 million people face crisis levels of hunger this year, the WFP says, with the Iran war exacerbating the situation.

• The World Food Programme, established as a joint project of the U.N. and the FAO, is aimed at providing an emergency response to global food shortages.

• Despite cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. remains the WFP's biggest donor, and it has traditionally been led by an American from the Republican party.

• Some U.S. donations to the Rome-based agency are in-kind or specify that food must be of U.S. origin, which also provides support for U.S. agricultural businesses. REUTERS