The following is a transcript of an interview with Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on December 15, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the Executive Director of the UN World Food Program, Cindy McCain. Welcome back to Face the Nation.
UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Director, you’re looking at a world very much in crisis, but I want to start with the hot spot of Syria. USAID said the World Food Program was able to reach 70,000 people in Syria in the last week, but you need supply lines to stay open. Is there a threat to your deliveries right now? And if so, where does that come from?
MCCAIN: Well, our deliveries so far have been very smooth, but we need more open delivery options, which is what you were referring to. More importantly, we have been able to feed 70,000 people this month so far, but we need more. And, more importantly, we need the funds to do it. This is where we are lacking. We had – there are a lot of people, a lot of hunger at stake, a lot of malnutrition that was already pre-existing, which now – now we also have to deal with it. You know, the WFP never left Syria. We’ve always been there, but now we need more routes, more capacity to get in and get in, not just more trucks, but more people, so we can help in the best possible way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So do you need Turkey to open the supply lines or the surrounding countries? is that so
MCCAIN: Yeah, right. We need everyone around us, Turkey, all the countries around us, to make sure that we can get in and out without problems, again, without obstacles and of course in a safe way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you said you’re trying to scale up to reach close to 3 million people who need help right now. The US still has some sanctions on Syria, but is letting in humanitarian aid from the UN. There was a bipartisan call in Congress this week for the United States to lift some sanctions. Are you experiencing US sanctions getting in your way right now?
MCCAIN: Not really. We’ve been able to, as you said, we’ve been able to move our products, our food, etc., and get them where they need to go in a safe and fast manner. way too But, but I don’t, I’ll never underestimate, I underestimate the process with things that could infringe on us later. So I hope things stay calm, that we can safely move our products again and do it at scale. If we can’t work at scale, we can’t feed ourselves. And that’s the most important part that we need, we need access and the ability to feed ourselves.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you said you lack funds. how much do you need
MCCAIN: Oh, in the whole world, I could use 17 billion right now, if you want to know the truth. There are so, so many countries that have absolutely no access to any funding. No one pays any attention to it. Syria is one of them. And we need, obviously, we need a lot of funds, particularly in Syria, but also in other countries. You’re talking about Sudan, we’re talking about Yemen, we’re talking about Ethiopia and other places where people are desperate right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So why did you say the funding has been reduced? Are people not paying attention?
MCCAIN: Yes. yes Countries are redirecting their funding in different ways. They are choosing: they choose to finance things in different ways or not to finance them at all. We- you know, we- I always send the oral plea to be able to- encourage people and encourage countries to be- to get involved and follow through. And I’m asking you now, I’m asking you in your program, all over the world, to please consider, once again, giving to Syria, because people in Syria are going to starve without it, and, and we’ve seen the evidence of great famines there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, you and I have talked in the past on this program about the very generous contribution of the United States to the UN, the largest funder, arguably the most important partner of the United Nations, and you encouraged Beijing to really step up their game, and you said there was a bit of a reluctance to be part of working together as a team across the board. Have you seen any changes in this?
MCCAIN: Not much. I encourage all countries to participate, including China. We need everyone’s help. The world is on fire right now, and fam-fam is at the forefront of it all. And more importantly, you know, when people are hungry, that becomes a national security issue. And so it doesn’t just affect the countries that it’s affecting, it affects us all over the world, and it affects national security. So it is important that every country in the world gets involved and gets involved in this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The US, as we just said, is the most generous here, the president-elect has selected a rising star of the Republican Party, Elise Stefanik, to be the representative to the United Nations and also a cabinet member. This indicates an important voice at the table. Rep. Stefanik- Rep. Stefanik called for a complete reassessment of US funding for the United Nations. Are you worried that you will see a negative impact on funding?
MCCAIN: Well, I’m not worried, because when I came into this job, I knew the funding wasn’t going to be at the level it had been. So we’ve gone through a complete reboot, not just to scale back our operations and make sure that we’re more efficient, more effective, and make sure that our people, we drive everything to that. in the field now, so that our people in the field can do the work. It was something that I went in knowing that I would have to do, is cut back, make sure that we work better, more efficiently and more effectively and make sure that we get food to people who need it. mostly in a fast and safe way.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I want to ask you about Sudan. I know you were there recently. It is in the midst of a brutal civil war. The US has accused both sides of ethnic cleansing. Can you keep trucks coming into Sudan to feed the people?
MCCAIN: Oh, it’s such a complicated situation. Right now, we have 30 convoys on the road going to Sudan to get to the different places we need to get to, but we need more. Certainly, Darfur has been a big problem, but we have other parts of the country that are just as needy and where there is hunger, as you know, it has been declared there. And we need, we also need to be able to go through Khartoum and make sure we can access it from that direction as well. It’s been a slow process, but we’ve been able to get in, but we need more. People are starving, and again, I feel like a broken record, but we have to be able to get in safely and without restrictions, so we can get the job done. Again, food security is national security. Never forget that because if people are insecure in front of a food-of- a food reality, they won’t behave well, and things- start to migrate. This is how wars start. Conflict is part of all of this. The countries that are affected right now, and the big ones that we look at, are all affected because of the conflict. It is, the problem of food security, is caused very directly by the conflict within the area where they are. Therefore, it is very important that we also pay attention to this particular problem.
MARGARET BRENNAN Given the scale of hunger and malnutrition in Sudan, are you trying to bring in food, or is it more, you know, specialized medical assistance? How do you deal with children, for example, who are being so hurt in Sudan?
MCCAIN: Well, yes, part of it is making sure that our people at UNICEF, our people at WHO can come in because there are specialized, specialized products that are needed, especially the babies, which are so serious. malnourished And it’s our job to help not only get our stuff in, but get it in, in any way we can. We’re a team player in all of this, and we make sure we reach out and talk to all our partners within the field so we can work together. yes I mean, these are these people, and these children especially, have been so deprived of food for so long that they need highly specialized items to be able to overcome malnutrition and at least have some chance of living.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I’d be remiss not to ask you about what’s going on in Gaza. Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said this week that the United States has stood up to Prime Minister Netanyahu to say: Let’s make sure Israel is not responsible for the third famine of the 21st century. Are we facing famine in Gaza?
MCCAIN: We’re very close. We have seen the effects. We’ve seen what happens… what happens. Listen, this is November. The WFP was able to bring in two trucks. That’s all. Two trucks in November. And, you know, and of course, we’re now in December. But so, la- la- the inability for us not only to move our trucks and get them where they need to go, but the insecurity that comes with it, la- la- the goal of- the aid workers humanitarian and making sure that we can’t move or that- or that they feel unsafe. All this, this whole issue of not being able to enter, is inappropriate. We need unrestricted access. We need a ceasefire, and we need it now. We can’t, there is, we can’t sit back and allow these people to starve to death. We need help and we need to make sure we put political pressure on those who need political pressure on them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ve seen images of crowds just crushing people, crowding into bakeries in Gaza. 90% of the population cannot return to their homes. They are displaced. Only four bakeries are operational for nearly 2 million people. This is man made.
MCCAIN: It’s man-made, you’re absolutely right. It is man-made and more importantly the world needs to take a good look and realize that not only do they need food, but we need access. And the goal of humanitarian aid workers is inconceivable. We have to go in and do our job, and most importantly, in all of this, make sure we can feed ourselves. Children, especially, are starving. I mean the height of malnutrition, the height of hunger within this region is incredibly horrific, and we’ve seen that first hand. And I, as the leader of the world’s largest humanitarian aid agency, am calling for a ceasefire, and I want my aid, my colleagues in this field, to call for the same. We need a ceasefire. We need access, and we need it now…
MARGARET BRENNAN: You used the word…
MCCAIN: –Again, remember, food security is national security, and that’s what’s going on.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. You used the word targeted. Who are your employees targeting?
MCCAIN: Well, there’s a lot going on there. There are gangs that run, if we talk directly about Gaza, they are gangs that run. It’s the- the illegality. There’s absolutely no law being made, you know, or spoken about there, because it doesn’t exist. And so we need all those kinds of things to be in place so that we can work safely and get the food where it’s going, where it’s going to go. Again, we took two trucks. That’s all. Two trucks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Director McCain, I know you have many needs. You are looking for 17 billion is the number you are asking for. We wish you the best of luck feeding the world.
MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be right back.