2016 Honoree

Ertharin Cousin

Executive Director, United Nations World Food Program

“The thing closest to my heart is to see people overcome hunger. And, what moves me most is to see mothers who are able to feed their own children–mothers who weren’t able to do so before. I am immensely proud of the incredible dedication and innovation which fuels the support WFP provides to the world’s most vulnerable people in some of the most difficult environments. I am proud, yet also humble, to be part of a larger effort to consign hunger to the history books.”

How do you handle a task as vast as fighting hunger?

My task is not a one-person challenge. There are 14,000 people working at the World Food Program. When a disaster strikes in a remote part of the world, my colleagues and our NGO partners are hard at work assessing the damage and providing immediate relief and air transport for the humanitarian community, even before I get to hear of it. We assist some 80 million people in 80 countries, working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We partner with governments, NGOs, businesses, and local people to help countries withstand setbacks like climate change and conflict and keep up the momentum towards ending hunger.

What are you most proud of?

The thing closest to my heart is to see people overcome hunger. And, what moves me most is to see mothers who are able to feed their own children–mothers who weren’t able to do so before. I am immensely proud of the incredible dedication and innovation which fuels the support WFP provides to the world’s most vulnerable people in some of the most difficult environments. I am proud, yet also humble, to be part of a larger effort to consign hunger to the history books.

What’s your toughest challenge to date?

I have had staff kidnapped. In South Sudan alone, we lost five people one year. One of them was pulled off a plane. The toughest call to make is the one you make to a daughter to tell her that you haven’t gotten her father back.

Who inspires you the most?

I’ll tell you who inspired me greatly recently: Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor. We at WFP provide food assistance to millions of Syrians, both inside and outside the country, from besieged towns to refugee camps. And when I had the opportunity to speak with Chancellor Merkel about this, I was told by her people exactly where to stand, that she was very busy, and that she would have to move on very quickly. Instead of which, when she appeared, she took me aside and sat me down and said, “I’m giving you $700 million, and I’ll make sure you get the rest of what you need.” She also said: “It must be hard to go around begging people for money all the time.” I said, “It is my life. But, I have leaders like you to count on.”