Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme, has come under fire from her agency’s rank and file for failing to attend a commemoration earlier this month for the more than 100 United Nations’ Palestinian workers killed in the ongoing bombardment of Gaza, while she participated days later in an awards ceremony honoring the people of Israel.
Staff at the Rome-based food agency have organized a letter-writing campaign urging colleagues to raise concerns about her conduct with WFP’s ethics office, saying it compromises the global food outfit’s perceived neutrality and potentially endangers U.N. staff in the region.
The letter calls for an ethics office “review of whether this is appropriate and in line with her role and responsibilities, as well as with WFP guidelines and policies.”
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
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