Key facts
- Luke Lindberg has been accepted as a nominee to lead the World Food Programme.
- The nomination was recommended by UN chief Antonio Guterres and FAO head Qu Dongyu.
- Lindberg is a senior U.S. agricultural official.
- 54 candidates applied for the position, with nine shortlisted.
- The World Food Programme board is expected to confirm the nomination on Friday.
- The US remains the WFP's biggest donor despite past funding cuts.
GENEVA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has accepted Luke Lindberg, a nominee put forward by President Donald Trump, to lead the World Food Programme, a document showed and a U.N. official confirmed on Tuesday. Lindberg, a senior U.S. agricultural official, was recommended by Guterres and Qu Dongyu, a Chinese national heading the Food and Agriculture Organization, according to a September 11 letter to the head of the WFP board. Some 54 candidates applied for the job, with nine shortlisted. A U.N. official said the nomination was expected to be confirmed by the WFP board on Friday. The World Food Programme, established as a joint project of the U.N. and the FAO, aims to provide emergency response to global food shortages. Nearly 300 million people face crisis levels of hunger this year, according to the WFP, with the Iran war exacerbating the situation. Despite cuts by President Donald Trump, the U.S. remains the WFP's biggest donor, and the role has traditionally been held by an American from the Republican party. Some U.S. donations to the Rome-based agency are in-kind or specify that food must be of U.S. origin, which also provides support for U.S. agricultural businesses.