Photo courtesy of WFP/Flip Holsinger.
Beasley will succeed Ertharin Cousin, whose five-year term as executive director ends on April 4.
The appointment was made by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and José Graziano da Silva, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, after consulting the WFP board at a special session at WFP’s Rome headquarters.
Welcoming Beasley, Wadhwa said: “Mr. Beasley has outstanding qualifications that would greatly benefit WFP. The board looks forward to working with him in close and harmonious collaboration.”
Cousin led the WFP from April 2012 through a period characterized by an unprecedented number of major emergencies. She said Beasley has underscored a commitment to raising resources for WFP at a time when the organization is facing four famines while also working toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger.
“I was impressed with his understanding of the organization, with his understanding of the board-approved strategic plan and his support for its implementation under the board’s leadership,” Cousin said.
