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World Food Programme

UN intergovernmental humanitarian agency

Owned byJoint body of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); governed by an Executive Board of 36 member states; Executive Director jointly appointed by the UN Secretary-General and the FAO Director-General
FundingFunded entirely by voluntary contributions from governments (the primary source), private-sector partners, and individual donors; receives no assessed UN dues; raised approximately $6.5 billion in 2025, down sharply from prior years as U.S. contributions fell from roughly $4.5 billion in 2024 to about $2 billion in 2025
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

WFP was conceived in 1961 when U.S. diplomat George McGovern proposed a multilateral food-aid program at the FAO Conference, and it was formally established on a three-year experimental basis in 1963 through a joint resolution of the UN General Assembly and the FAO. It was made permanent in 1965 and has since grown into the world's largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries. The United States has historically been its single largest donor, often providing nearly half of total contributions. In 2020, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work combating hunger in conflict zones and for using food assistance as a tool for peace-building. Cindy McCain (widow of Senator John McCain) served as Executive Director from 2021 until stepping down in mid-2026 for health reasons; Carl Skau has served as acting Executive Director since June 1, 2026. The Trump administration's second term brought the sharpest funding crisis in WFP's history: U.S. contributions fell by more than half in 2025, Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole child nutrition program were targeted for elimination, and WFP responded by closing regional offices and moving to cut up to 30 percent of its global workforce, while publicly warning that the reductions could 'amount to a death sentence for millions.'

Sources

  1. WFP at a Glance | World Food Programme
  2. Contributions to WFP in 2026 | World Food Programme
  3. Contributions to WFP in 2025 | World Food Programme
  4. Carl Skau Assumes Role of Acting Executive Director | World Food Programme
  5. World Food Programme (WFP) – History | NobelPrize.org
  6. U.N. World Food Program to slash jobs, drastically shrink food aid | NPR
  7. The future of World Food Programme in the age of President Donald Trump | Devex
  8. WFP warns of deepening hunger crisis amid funding shortfall | Al Jazeera
  9. In the wake of Trump administration aid cuts, UN food program closes its southern Africa office | PBS NewsHour
  10. World Food Programme | New World Encyclopedia

Profile compiled 2026-09-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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