INTERVIEW: WFP Chief Thanks Japan amid Funding Shortfall

Tokyo, May 21 (Jiji Press)–Cindy McCain, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, in a recent interview, expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued contributions as the organization struggles with financial difficulties. “We’re facing a 20 pct higher (transportation) charge for what we need,” such as food and other relief supplies, since the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed due to the military conflict between the United States and Iran, McCain said in the interview with Jiji Press in Tokyo on Wednesday. As the WFP has been forced to scale back its activities due to budget constraints, McCain said that “lives are at stake,” calling for the reopening of the key transport waterway. McCain said that the WFP would have to cut back on the number of people it can feed due to soaring fuel costs for transporting relief supplies. She added that the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced ships carrying food aid to take detours, causing delays in deliveries. Currently, the United Nations is experiencing a funding shortfall as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has drastically cut foreign aid. As more countries increase defense spending by cutting funding for humanitarian aid amid growing instability in the international situation, contributions to the WFP in 2025 totaled about 6.4 billion dollars, or about 1 trillion yen, down from about 9.75 billion dollars, or about 1.55 trillion yen, in 2024. “I’m so grateful to the Japanese because they’ve maintained their interests, their level of support,” McCain said. McCain has served as the WFP’s executive director since April 2023. She will step down at the end of this month for health reasons. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]