David Beasley, governor of South Carolina from 1995-99, will become executive director of the UN World Food Program on April 4, succeeding fellow American Ertharin Cousin for a five-year term, announced UN Secretary General António Guterres. The WFP describes itself as the world’s largest antihunger agency, assisting 80 million people annually.
Cousin said in a UN release that Beasley stressed his commitment to raising resources for WFP in the face of an unprecedented famines while working on the long-term goal of ending hunger. Beasley was selected as Cousin’s successor during a special session of the WFP board in Rome.
Nearly two dozen people were nominated for the job. The United States backed Beasley, said the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier.
Beasley will assume the job at the same time the Trump administration wants to reduce U.S. funding for the United Nations and for foreign aid.
“Beasley, a Republican, was elected governor in 1994 and served only one term. He lost his re-election bid to Democrat Jim Hodges in a race that was largely shaped by Beasley’s unilateral support for bringing down the Confederate flag from the Statehouse — a move he announced without consulting other Republicans,” said the Post and Courier.
To read a WFP biography of Beasley, click here.