Amna: The world is facing a food
crisis.
Today food the systems remain
fragile.
The U.N. World food program is
at the center of confronting
those challenges.
The new executive director is a
familiar face to many Americans.
>> Cindy McCain.
U.S. Ambassador to the un's and
agriculture organization became
the 14th executive director last
month.
Her first trip to the fields in
the role is to Somalia, facing
their worst drought in 40 years
that killed 43,000 people last
year.
She joins us from the somali
capital.
Welcome to the newshour.
What are the conditions somali
is facing?
>> An uphill battle.
Drought and the ability --
inability to feed themselves and
also conflict.
The combinations are almost a
perfect storm for what could be
famine.
We kept famine away from Somalia
last year and we will try to do
our best to do the same thing
this year.
We have to remind people not to
forget about Somalia and that
things are really tough in
Somalia and why we need their
donations and support.
Reporter: More than 7.5 million
somalis need assistant and
nearly 3 million have been
displaced by drought and
instability.
Many live in camps.
You visited the camp as part of
your trip on the border with
Ethiopia and met with families.
What challenges do they face?
>> A lot of people are not
eligible or have been unable to
get assistance so they are
living there on the hopes of
getting assistance.
Because of funding dropping this
year we will not be able to feed
as many people as we did last
year so we are faced with six
months of telling people we
cannot give them more
assistance.
Reporter: The U.N. Request for
funding for Somalia is $2.6
billion.
How short are you?
>> Probably most of that.
We are faced with less money
than was available last year and
that was unprecedented last year
so this year we are going to
have to learn to do more with
less and be more creative in how
we distribute things and
operate.
Reporter: Somalia has the crisis
of the drought and also
conflicts.
900,000 somalis live in areas
controlled by militant groups.
How does the security situation
complicate your work?
>> It complicates a lot of it
and most of them are workers.
There is the element of
instability we are faced with
every day.
Reporter: A lot of this is about
climate change.
Somalia has faced five rainy
seasons in a row.
In the middle of the sixth.
Hotter temperatures.
How important is climate
adaptation like finding new
water sources and readability
infrastructure?
>> For us it means we have to be
creative.
Talk about resilience.
Wells, water, water management
and more because the ultimate
goal in this is to make the
somalis self-sufficient so they
can form their own land and grow
their own food.
Reporter: Sudan is facing a
humanitarian crisis and the
threat of collapse because of
violence.
In April three wf P workers were
killed and two others seriously
injured.
You had to suspend operations to
bring -- you had to suspend
operations.
How do you balance the need of
the people you are trying to
help with safety of your staff?
>> We never left Sudan but we
got most of our people out
safely.
It is a tragedy what happened to
our three folks.
We will resume operations in
areas in the eastern part of the
country.
Security is a top concern.
What we are faced with now is
reconfiguring our present.
Food and water are very short in
many parts of the country and
the bottom line is we need help
to be able to help them and give
them food and water.
Reporter: When your predecessor
took his job six years ago, 80
million people across the world
faced starvation.
Today that number is 345 million
with another 30 million knocking
on the door of hunger.
What is the reason?
>> Conflict.
Climate change.
And the cost because of Ukraine.
The cost of grain.
It has affected everything.
Reporter: The U.S. Is the top
donor.
You have said you could never
forgive trump for what he said
about your late husband.
Are you concerned at all about
bipartisan support for --
support for wfp if trump becomes
the candidate or president?
>> Now.
I have to believe in the good
hearts of people around the
world.
The U.S. Is the largest donor
but we have many other donors.
My job is to not only tell the
story, especially about
countries like Somalia, but help
them understand the importance
and necessity to be sizable
donors and respect the people so
seriously vulnerable on the
ground.
Reporter: Ambassador Cindy
McCain, thank you very much.
>> Thank you.
♪♪