The United States Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the

United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. Rome is unusual in that there are three U.S. Ambassadors located there; the other U.S. diplomatic mis ...

and holds the rank of

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the three

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

agencies for food and agriculture located in

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

: the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

, the

International Fund for Agricultural Development The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD; french: link=no, Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address ...

, and the

World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...

History

Originally, there had been a U.S. permanent representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization. However, this position had not held ambassador rank, but instead had been part of the Embassy of the United States of America to the Italian Republic and had reported to the

United States Ambassador to Italy Since 1840, the United States has had diplomacy, diplomatic representation in the Italian Republic and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946), Kingdom of Italy, with a break in relations from 1941 to 1944 while Italy and the U ...

. In 1983, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

created the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and split out this role to a separate, ambassador-rank position. (Due to its heritage, the new position has occasionally been known as the United States Ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.) As with regular ambassadorial posts, nominations are made by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and confirmation by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

is required. As head of the mission, the ambassador oversees staff from the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

, and the

Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

. The U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome is a part of the "Tri-Mission Community" in Rome, along with the Embassy of the United States of America to the Italian Republic (headed by the

) and the

Embassy of the United States to the Holy See The Embassy of the United States of America to the Holy See (or Embassy Vatican for short) is the diplomatic mission of United States of America to the Holy See, a term referring to the central government and universal reach of the Roman Catholic C ...

(the

United States Ambassador to the Holy See The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the Ambassadors of the United States, official representative of the United States, United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representatio ...

position was also split out and elevated to ambassador rank at the same time as the UN Agencies one was). The three ambassadors sometimes engage in joint activities. Ambassadors to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture are typically appointed for three-year terms. The position has attracted some well-known Americans:

Millicent Fenwick Millicent Vernon Hammond Fenwick (February 25, 1910 – September 16, 1992) was an American fashion editor, politician and diplomat. A four-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey, she entered politic ...

, the first to hold it at the ambassador rank, was a nationally prominent former member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

;

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pres ...

was a former United States Senator and the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nominee;

Tony P. Hall Tony Patrick Hall (born January 16, 1942) is an American politician, businessman, and diplomat who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Ohio's 3rd congressional district from 1979 to 2002. Hall had previously se ...

was a long-time sitting member of the House who resigned his seat in order to take on the role; and

Cindy McCain Cindy Lou McCain (; born May 20, 1954) is an American diplomat, businesswoman, and humanitarian. McCain has served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture since November 5, 2021. She is the widow of U.S. Sena ...

was a politically active humanitarian who achieved further visibility as the wife and then widow of a senator and presidential nominee. Several of the nominees, especially including McGovern and Hall, had long prior involvements with food, agriculture, and hunger issues. On the other hand, from 1988 through 1997 the position was held by career

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

s. During 2017–18 the position was vacant, one of many unfilled by the new administration. During such times the acting personage is the '' Chargé d'affaires a.i.'', who in this case was Thomas M. Duffy. Then in 2019, a nominee was finally confirmed for the post.

Ambassadors

The following is a chronological list of those who have held the position since its elevation in rank, with what are typically their appointment and termination of service dates: #

(June 13, 1983 – March 20, 1987) #

Fred J. Eckert Fred J. Eckert (born May 6, 1941) is an American politician and diplomat who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 30th congressional district for one term. A friend and political ally of Ronald Reaga ...

(May 7, 1987 – January 11, 1989) # Gerald J. Monroe (November 8, 1988 – July 5, 1992) # William H. Marsh (July 24, 1992 – September 4, 1994) # Thomas Austin Forbord (August 23, 1994 – September 8, 1997) #

(March 10, 1998 – September 28, 2001) #

(September 12, 2002 – April 5, 2006) # Gaddi Vasquez (September 7, 2006 – January 17, 2009) #

Ertharin Cousin Ertharin Cousin (born 1957) is an American lawyer who served as the twelfth executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme from 2012 to 2017. Following the completion of her term, Cousin became Payne Distinguished Professor at S ...

(August 17, 2009 – April 5, 2012) # David J. Lane (July 19, 2012 – August 9, 2016) # Kip E. Tom (April 11, 2019 – January 19, 2021) #

(November 5, 2021 – Present)

References

External links

United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome

Principal Officers and Chiefs of Mission Chronological Listing

U.S. Representatives to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture (Rome)
{{Ambassadors of the United States United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture United States and the United Nations United States agricultural policy