WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Cindy McCain intends to step down as head of the United Nations World Food Programme, she said on Thursday, months after she suffered a mild stroke.
“I had truly hoped I could finish out my term, but my health has not recovered to a level that allows me to fully serve the enormous demands of this job,” McCain said in the statement posted on X.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make.”
McCain, widow of the late U.S. Republican Senator John McCain, took up the job in 2023 after serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture.
In October, she experienced a mild stroke but was expected to make a full recovery, according to a WFP statement. She traveled home to Arizona to recover and planned to return to the headquarters in Rome once cleared by doctors.
Her departure allows U.S. President Donald Trump, who has heavily criticized the United Nations, to propose a replacement to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The United States is traditionally the largest donor to WFP.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Michelle Nichols)
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