The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to the World Food Program (WFP) during the Annual Session of the WFP Executive Board. The U.S. expressed appreciation for WFP's dedication to providing food assistance in challenging environments and condemned a recent attack on a UN aid convoy in Sudan that resulted in the deaths of five humanitarian workers.
The U.S. emphasized that foreign assistance is a strategic investment rather than charity, with Secretary Rubio stating, “The best foreign aid is foreign aid where at some point that country doesn’t need it anymore because now they’re self-sufficient.” The goal is to help countries become self-reliant rather than dependent on long-term aid.
The U.S. highlighted several priorities for WFP’s strategic direction, including maintaining focus on its mission without political distractions, ensuring fiscal responsibility, and removing references to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from its strategic plans. The U.S. also stressed the importance of recognizing biological realities and rewarding merit within WFP policies.
While supporting reform efforts, the U.S. remains committed to providing life-saving foreign assistance and continues to be WFP's largest donor. However, it called on other member nations to increase their contributions to support WFP's work.
In conclusion, the United States pledged continued collaboration with WFP and other member states to ensure efficient delivery of aid and urged all donors to contribute additional resources for emergency response efforts.