Director-General of FAO since 2019
Lindberg, the son-in-law of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has been named undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at the USDA and will head the World Food Program in Rome. The move comes as WFP faces funding shortfalls that limit its ability to reach millions in hunger crises.
Benjamin Davis has been dismissed from the FAO after a 26-year tenure, amid controversy over his Gaza hunger brief and moments of silence protests. Qu Dongyu has warned staff about firing more for political activism, while Davis argues the dismissal undermines the UN’s human-rights mandate. The case now moves to the FAO’s internal justice process.