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The United Nations appointed Luke J. Lindberg of the United States as Executive Director of the World Food Programme on 18 September 2026.
The appointment was made jointly by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, after the WFP Executive Board concurred at a special session in Rome.
Lindberg, 37, was Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the US Department of Agriculture, and was nominated by President Donald Trump.
He succeeds Cindy McCain, who led the WFP from April 2023 to May 2026 and stepped down on health grounds; Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau has been acting head.
He takes over a Rome-based agency that won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize and now faces severe funding shortfalls while about 266 million people face acute hunger.
Food-assistance arm of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian agency working on hunger; delivers emergency food aid, nutrition support and logistics in conflicts and disasters
UN specialised agency for food and agriculture; its Director-General jointly appoints the WFP Executive Director with the UN Secretary-General
The Secretary-General jointly appoints the WFP Executive Director and announced Lindberg's selection
The WFP is established after a proposal at an FAO conference by US Senator George McGovern
The WFP launches its first programmes, beginning with support for the Nubian population in Sudan
The WFP is made a permanent United Nations programme
Sushil K. Dev of India serves as acting Executive Director
Catherine Bertini takes charge, beginning an unbroken run of American Executive Directors
The WFP is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work against hunger in conflict zones
Cindy McCain becomes Executive Director
Luke J. Lindberg is appointed Executive Director
GS Paper II > Important international institutions, agencies and fora - their structure and mandate
General Awareness > International organisations, heads and headquarters
Consider the following statements: 1. The Nuclear Security Summits are periodically held under the aegis of the United Nations. 2. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an organ of International Atomic Energy Agency. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Neither 1 nor 2
In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the 'Seed Replacement Rates' of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/constraints in its wider/greater implementation? 1. There is no National Seeds Policy in place. 2. There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops. 3. There is a demand-supply gap regarding quality seeds in case of low value and high volume crops. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer: 3 only
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action', often seen in the news, is
Answer: an agenda for women's empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations
The UN's food-assistance arm, established in 1961 and headquartered in Rome; Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 2020.
A severe form of food insecurity requiring urgent humanitarian assistance; about 266 million people face it worldwide.
The WFP's 36-member governing body - 18 states elected by ECOSOC and 18 by the FAO.