World Food Programme
David Beasley is the World Food Programme's new executive director. He will be succeeding Ertharin Cousin, whose current term expires this April.
Beasley is a former governor of South Carolina and was a supporter of President Donald Trump during the U.S. presidential campaign. His appointment, announced last week by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and Food and Agricultural Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva, is seen by some members of the aid sector as strategic given his close ties with influential people in the current administration. It could help stave off potential deep cuts to the agency, part of the U.N. family and wider humanitarian sector under threat of funding cuts in the current U.S. administration’s budget discussions.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
