NEW YORK (AP) – Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain and head of the U.N. World Food Program, suffered a mild stroke this week and is said to be recovering “successfully,” according to a Thursday press release from a humanitarian organization.
McCain, 71, is expected to make a “full recovery” and will travel from Rome, WFP’s headquarters, to Arizona to focus on his recovery, the statement said. She plans to return to duty within four to six weeks after receiving medical clearance.
“I would like to thank the medical staff in Italy for the excellent care they provided,” McCain said. “Thanks to their excellent care, my recovery is progressing well.”
McCain was appointed to head the world’s largest humanitarian organization in March 2023 after serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations agency responsible for food and agriculture under former President Joe Biden. McCain broke with Republicans when she supported Biden in the 2020 presidential election and became a key Democratic surrogate after current President Donald Trump spent years criticizing her husband and his military service.
Since then, she has become the face of the World Food Program. The plan is one of the few UN agencies to receive bipartisan support this year for its efforts to assist some 150 million people facing the effects of conflict, disasters and climate change. McCain and WFP have been in the spotlight as the United Nations seeks to respond to the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
After visiting Gaza in late August, McCain told The Associated Press that it was “very clear” that Gaza no longer exists. There is enough food in the Palestinian territories. She said she spoke to the Israeli prime minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Regarding the urgent need for further assistance.
Her comments came a week after a world authority on the food crisis said: Starvation hits Gaza Strip’s largest cityand it was considered likely that it would spread throughout the territory. Without a ceasefire and lifting of restrictions About humanitarian aid.
“I personally met mothers and children who were starving in Gaza,” she said. “It’s real and it’s happening right now.”
McCain, a children’s advocate, serves on the board of Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that addresses facial disfigurement in children around the world, and has traveled to India, Morocco and Vietnam, according to a joint statement.
McCain replaced former South Carolina Governor David Beasley, who led WFP through difficult times, including the coronavirus pandemic and the global food crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Beasley was in control. The World Food Program won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020Part of the reason is that it is “the driving force behind efforts to prevent hunger from being used as a weapon of war and conflict.”
Karl Skow, WFP deputy executive director, is expected to oversee the organization’s day-to-day operations until McCain returns.
McCain said in a statement Thursday that he has “full confidence” in his leadership team’s ability to “remain focused on WFP delivering urgently needed food assistance to more than 100 million people in 87 countries.”
She added: “The fight against hunger has never been more important and I am incredibly proud of the work our teams do every day. I look forward to returning to the field soon and working with WFP teams to fight hunger and support communities in need.”
