The following is a transcript of an interview with Cindy McCain, U.N. World Food Programme executive director, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Dec. 15, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the Executive Director of the U.N.’s World Food Programme Cindy McCain. Welcome back to Face the Nation.
U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Director, you are looking at a globe very much in crisis, but I want to start on the hot spot of Syria. USAID said the World Food Programme was able to reach 70,000 people in Syria over the last week, but you need supply lines to remain open. Is there a threat right now to your deliveries? And if so, where is that coming from?
MCCAIN: Well, our deliveries so far have been very- very smooth, but we need more delivery options open, which is what this was alluding to. More importantly, we have been able to get 70,000 people fed this- this month so far, but we need more. And- and more importantly, we need the funds to do it. That’s where we’re lacking. We had- there’s a lot of people, a lot of hunger at stake, a lot of malnutrition that was already pre-existing, that now- that now we need to handle as well. You know, WFP never left Syria. We’ve always been in there, but now we need more routes, more ability to get in and to get, not just more trucks, but more people in, so that we can help in the best way we can.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you need Turkey to open up supply lines or surrounding countries? Is that right?
MCCAIN: Yes, correct. We need everybody around us, Turkey, all the countries surrounding us, to make sure that we can get in and get in smoothly, again, unfettered and, of course, in a safe manner.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you have said you’re trying to scale up to reach nearly 3 million people who need some help right now. The U.S. still has some sanctions on Syria, but they do let in U.N. humanitarian aid. There was a call in Congress, a bipartisan one this week, for the United States to lift some sanctions. Are you experiencing U.S. sanctions getting in your way at this point?
MCCAIN: Not really. We’ve- we’ve been able to, as- as you said, we’ve been able to move our goods, through, our food items, etc, through and get it to where it needs to go in a safe and quick manner as well. But- but I don’t- I will never understate- underestimate the process with things that it could infringe us later on. So I’m hoping that things stay calm, that we can move our goods again in a safe and secure manner and do it at full scale. If we can’t work at scale, we can’t feed. And that’s the most important part that we need too, we need access, and we need the ability to feed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And you said you’re short on funds. How much do you need?
MCCAIN: Oh, worldwide, I could use 17 billion right now, if you want to know the truth. There’s so much, there’s so many- many countries that have absolutely no access to any fundings. No one’s paying any attention to it. Syria being one of them. And we need- we need, obviously, a great deal of funds in- in particular within Syria, but in other countries too. You’re talking about Sudan, we’re talking about Yemen, we’re talking about Ethiopia and other places where- where people are desperate right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So why did you say funding is down? People are just not paying attention?
MCCAIN: Yeah. Yeah. Countries are- are rerouting their funding in different ways. They’re choosing- choosing to fund things in different manners or not to fund at all. We- you know, we- I always send out the oral plea to be able to- to encourage people and encourage countries to be- to get involved and to stay involved. And I’m asking now, I’m asking on your show, worldwide, to please consider, once again, giving to Syria, because people in Syria will starve to death without it, and- and we’ve seen the evidence of great hunger there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, you and I have spoken in the past on this program about the U.S. contributing so generously to the U.N., the largest funder, arguably the most important partner to the United Nations, and you had encouraged Beijing to really kind of step up their game, and you had said there was somewhat of a lack of willingness to be a part of working together as a team worldwide. Have you seen any change to that?
MCCAIN: Not much. I encourage all countries to get involved, including China. We need help from everybody. The world is on fire right now, and hunger- hunger is at the forefront of all of this. And most importantly, you know, when people are hungry, this becomes a national security issue. And so it affects not only the countries that it’s affecting, but it affects us worldwide, and it does affect national security. So it’s important that every country worldwide get involved and be involved in this.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.S., as- as we just said, the most generous here, the president-elect has selected a rising star in the Republican Party, Elise Stefanik, to be the representative at the United Nations, and also a cabinet member. That indicates an important voice at the table. Congressman Stefanik- Congresswoman Stefanik called for a complete reassessment of U.S. funding for the United Nations. Are you concerned that you will see a negative impact on funding?
MCCAIN: Well, I’m not concerned, because when I came into this job, I knew that funding was not going to be at the level that it had been. So we’ve gone through a complete- complete reboot on not only scaling down our operations and making sure that we’re more efficient, more effective, and- and making sure that our people in- we push everything to this- to the- to the field now, so that our people in the field can get the job done. We- this was something I came in knowing I was going to have to do, is scale down, make sure that- that we work better, more efficiently, more effectively, and make sure that we get food to the people that need it the most in a quick and safe manner.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So I want to ask you about Sudan. I know you were recently there. It’s in the midst of a brutal civil war. The U.S. has accused both sides of ethnic cleansing. Can you keep trucks going into Sudan to feed people there?
MCCAIN: Oh, it’s such a complicated situation. We- right now, we have 30 some convoys on the road going into Sudan to hit the various places that we need to get to, but we need more. Certainly, Darfur has been a big issue, but we have other parts of the country that are just as needy and where- where famine does exist, as you know, it’s been declared there. And we need- we need also to be able to come through Khartoum and make sure that we can- can access from that direction as well. It’s been a slow process, but we have been able to get in, but we need more. People are starving to death, and once again, it’s- it’s- I sound like a broken record, but we need to be able to get in in a safe and unfettered- unfettered manner, so that we can get the job done. Again, food security is national security. Don’t ever forget that because if people are insecure from a food- from- from a food reality, they’re not going to behave well, and things- they start to migrate. Wars begin that way. Conflict is a part of all of this. The countries that are affected right now, and the big ones that we- that we look to, are all affected because of conflict. It’s- the food security issue is- is very directly caused by conflict within the arena that they’re in. So it’s very important that we pay attention to that particular issue as well.
MARGARET BRENNAN Given the- the scale of the famine and the malnutrition in Sudan, is it food that you’re trying to bring in, or is it more, you know, specialized medical assistance? How do you deal with the children, for example, who are being so hurt in Sudan?
MCCAIN: Well, yes, part of that is making sure that- that our folks from UNICEF, our folks from W.H.O. can get in because there are specialized and- specialized products that are needed for, especially the infants, that are so severely- severely malnourished. And it’s our job to help not just get our stuff in, but get their stuff in as well, in any way that we can. We’re a team player in all this, and we make sure that we- we access and talk to all of our partners within the field so that we can work together. Yes. I mean, these are these- these people, and these children especially, have been so deprived of nourishment for so long that they need highly-specialized items to be able- to be able to beat malnutrition and at least have some chance at life.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I’d be remiss to not ask you about what’s going on in Gaza. Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Adviser, said this week the U.S. has stood up to Prime Minister Netanyahu to say, let’s make sure that Israel is not responsible for the third famine of the 21st century. Are we at famine in Gaza?
MCCAIN: We’re very close to it. We’ve seen the effects of it. We’ve seen what’s- what’s going on. Listen- this- we’re in the month of November. WFP has been able to get two trucks in. That’s all. Two trucks in the month of November. And, you know- and of course, now we’re into December. But so- the- the- the inability for us to not only to- to move our trucks and get it to where it needs to go, but the insecurity that’s caused from it, the- the- the targeting of- of humanitarian aid workers and making sure that we can’t move or that- or that they feel insecure. This whole- this whole issue of not being able to get in, is- is unseemly. We need unfettered access. We need a cease-fire, and we need it now. We can’t- there’s- we can no longer sit by and just allow these people to starve to death. We need help, and we need to make sure that we put political pressure on those that need to have political pressure put on them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ve seen images of- of crowds just crushing people, amassing at bakeries in Gaza. 90% of the population cannot return to their homes. They’re displaced. Only four bakeries are operational for nearly 2 million people. This is man-made.
MCCAIN: It is man-made, you’re- you’re absolutely right. It is man-made and and- and more importantly, the world needs to take a hard look at this and realize that not just- not just do they need food, but we need access. And the targeting of humanitarian aid workers is unconscionable. We need to get in and do our job, and- and more importantly, in all of this, make sure that we can feed. Children, especially, are starving to death. I mean, the height of malnutrition, the height of- of hunger within- within that region, is- is unbelievably horrible, and so we’ve seen it firsthand. And I- I, as the leader of the largest humanitarian aid agency in the world, are- I’m calling for a cease-fire, and I want my aid, my fellow partners within this arena, to call for the same thing. We need a cease-fire. 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 happening.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. You used the word targeted. Who’s targeting your workers?
MCCAIN: Well, there’s lots of things that are going on there. There’s gangs that are running, if we’re speaking directly about Gaza, it’s gangs that’s running around. It’s the- the lawlessness. There is absolutely no- no law- law to be held, you know, to be even talked about there, because it doesn’t exist. And so we need all of those kinds of things to be put into place so that we can work in a safe manner and get- get the food to where it’s go- where it needs to go. Again, we’ve gotten two trucks in. That’s all. Two trucks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Director McCain, I know you have a lot of needs. You’re looking for 17 billion is the number you are asking for. We wish you good luck feeding the world.
MCCAIN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be right back.