Carl Skau, No. 2 at WFP, will temporarily helm the agency while a successor is named. McCain’s final day has yet to be determined.
McCain, the widow of late U.S. Sen. John McCain, took the helm of the world’s largest humanitarian organization in April 2023. Her tenure has been dominated by spiraling global hunger driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate shocks and funding shortfalls. In a 2023 interview with POLITICO, she warned the world faced a “catastrophic” hunger crisis without a surge in funding.
Her tenure was also marked by intense diplomatic pressure during the war in Gaza. In March 2024, she urged Israel to allow “consistent, sustained and safe access” for humanitarian convoys, telling POLITICO that blocked convoys, not lack of food, were driving the famine risk.
Since last year, WFP has been battered by a deep financial crunch. Cuts from major Western donors — including its largest backer, the U.S. — have forced the agency to slash rations even as acute food insecurity affects more than 340 million people worldwide
In October, McCain suffered a mild stroke and temporarily took leave, saying at the time she expected to make a full recovery.
She said Thursday she would remain “an unwavering voice” in the fight against hunger after leaving office.