Clinton nominates Cousin for WFP post
November 23, 2011 | 01:41 PM | Filed in: UN World Food Program
The United States has nominated Ertharin Cousin, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. food agencies in Rome, to be the next executive director of the U.N. World Food Program.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a Nov. 18 letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
“I am writing to nominate Ambassador Ertharin Cousin as the U.S. candidate to be the next executive director of the World Food Programme,” Clinton wrote in the letter, which was reported yesterday by Turtle Bay, a blog that is part of Foreign Policy magazine.
Turtle Bay also reported that Josette Sheeran, the current WFP executive director whose five-year appointment expires in April, is asking U.N. officials to reappoint her, even though U.S. officials have told her they will not support her staying in the position.
The appointment of the WFP executive director is made by the U.N. secretary general and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization director general in consultation with the WFP board.
Ertharin Cousin
In her letter, Clinton wrote that Cousin “has been a central driver of the Obama administration’s global food security policy and its implementation, as well as a leading figure in efforts to eradicate world hunger.”
Clinton also noted that Cousin, in Rome since 2009, has expanded U.S. partnerships with new and emerging donors and built relationships between the World Food Programme and the other food agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
“During her tenure, she has worked tirelessly in support of efforts to make the World Food Programme more agile, accountable, focused and effective,” Clinton wrote. “Over the course of the past three years, she has visited a wide array of countries, observing firsthand the important lifesaving work of the World Food Programme in the field.”
Clinton also pointed out that Cousin was chief operating officer of Second Harvest (now Feeding America) and “pioneered a series of operational innovations” in relief delivery after Hurricane Katrina.
Clinton did not mention Sheeran or criticize her, but alluded to management problems at WFP when she wrote that Cousin “would bring new energy to the organization’s work,” and make it a priority to:
Clinton also gave a personal endorsement to Cousin, who served as a liaison between the White House and the State Department in the Bill Clinton administration, concluding, “I have known her for more than two decades and we have worked together in her current capacity in Rome. She will bring valuable experience, a drive for innovation, an insistence on results, and a record of strong management to the job. She will be a tremendous asset and partner to the United Nations system.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a Nov. 18 letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
“I am writing to nominate Ambassador Ertharin Cousin as the U.S. candidate to be the next executive director of the World Food Programme,” Clinton wrote in the letter, which was reported yesterday by Turtle Bay, a blog that is part of Foreign Policy magazine.
Turtle Bay also reported that Josette Sheeran, the current WFP executive director whose five-year appointment expires in April, is asking U.N. officials to reappoint her, even though U.S. officials have told her they will not support her staying in the position.
The appointment of the WFP executive director is made by the U.N. secretary general and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization director general in consultation with the WFP board.
In her letter, Clinton wrote that Cousin “has been a central driver of the Obama administration’s global food security policy and its implementation, as well as a leading figure in efforts to eradicate world hunger.”
Clinton also noted that Cousin, in Rome since 2009, has expanded U.S. partnerships with new and emerging donors and built relationships between the World Food Programme and the other food agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
“During her tenure, she has worked tirelessly in support of efforts to make the World Food Programme more agile, accountable, focused and effective,” Clinton wrote. “Over the course of the past three years, she has visited a wide array of countries, observing firsthand the important lifesaving work of the World Food Programme in the field.”
Clinton also pointed out that Cousin was chief operating officer of Second Harvest (now Feeding America) and “pioneered a series of operational innovations” in relief delivery after Hurricane Katrina.
Clinton did not mention Sheeran or criticize her, but alluded to management problems at WFP when she wrote that Cousin “would bring new energy to the organization’s work,” and make it a priority to:
- “Ensure that the organization’s policies and programs are fully transparent and driven by evidence of impact and informed by the World Food Progamme’s own track record, as well as local experience and expertise;
- "Focus attention on administrative and internal management reform to promote greater accountability and operational effectiveness;
- "Build into all World Food Progamme policies and programs a clear and deliberate focus on local and national capacity-building; and,
- "Develop and diversify strategic partnerships with key U.N. agencies, host nations, donors, emerging partner countries, the World Bank and regional development banks, the G8 and G20, the private sector, and regional and non-government organizations.”
Clinton also gave a personal endorsement to Cousin, who served as a liaison between the White House and the State Department in the Bill Clinton administration, concluding, “I have known her for more than two decades and we have worked together in her current capacity in Rome. She will bring valuable experience, a drive for innovation, an insistence on results, and a record of strong management to the job. She will be a tremendous asset and partner to the United Nations system.”
