List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture explained

Post:Ambassador
Body:the United States to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
Insignia:US Department of State official seal.svg
Insigniasize:120px
Insigniacaption:Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag:Flag of a United States ambassador.svg
Flagsize:130
Flagborder:yes
Flagcaption:Flag of the United States Ambassador
Incumbent:Jeffrey Prescott
Incumbentsince:April 3, 2024
Nominator:President of the United States
Inaugural:Millicent Fenwick
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Formation:June 13, 1983
Website:United States Mission – UN Agencies in Rome

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 and holds the rank of Ambassador to the three United Nations agencies for food and agriculture located in Rome, Italy: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Food Programme.[1], Jeffrey Prescott serves as the ambassador.[2]

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.[3] In 1983, President Ronald Reagan created the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and split out this role to a separate, ambassador-rank position.[3] (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.[4]) As with regular ambassadorial posts, nominations are made by the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate is required.[1] [5] As head of the mission, the ambassador oversees staff from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Agency for International Development.[6]

The U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome is a part of the "Tri-Mission Community" in Rome,[7] along with the Embassy of the United States of America to the Italian Republic (headed by the United States ambassador to Italy) and the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See (the United States ambassador to the Holy See position was also split out and elevated to ambassador rank at the same time as the UN Agencies one was).[3] The three ambassadors sometimes engage in joint activities.[8]

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, the first to hold it at the ambassador rank, was a nationally prominent former member of the U.S. House of Representatives;[3] George McGovern was a former United States Senator and the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nominee; Tony P. Hall was a long-time sitting member of the House who resigned his seat in order to take on the role;[9] and Cindy McCain 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.[9]

On the other hand, from 1988 through 1997 the position was held by career Foreign Service Officers. During 2017–18 the position was vacant, one of many unfilled by the new administration.[10] During such times the acting personage is the Chargé d'affaires a.i., who in this case was Thomas M. Duffy.[11] Then in 2019, a nominee was finally confirmed for the post.[12]

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:

  1. Millicent Fenwick (June 13, 1983 – March 20, 1987)[13]
  2. Fred J. Eckert (May 7, 1987 – January 11, 1989)[14] [15]
  3. Gerald J. Monroe (November 8, 1988 – July 5, 1992)[16]
  4. William H. Marsh (July 24, 1992 – September 4, 1994)[17]
  5. Thomas Austin Forbord (August 23, 1994 – September 8, 1997)[18]
  6. George McGovern (March 10, 1998 – September 28, 2001)[19] [9] [20]
  7. Tony P. Hall (September 12, 2002 – April 5, 2006)[21]
  8. Gaddi Vasquez (September 7, 2006 – January 17, 2009)[22]
  9. Ertharin Cousin (August 17, 2009 – April 5, 2012)[23]
  10. David J. Lane (July 19, 2012 – August 9, 2016)[24] [25]
  11. Kip E. Tom (April 11, 2019 – January 19, 2021)[12] [26]
  12. Cindy McCain (November 5, 2021 – April 5, 2023)[27]
  13. Jeffrey Prescott (April 3, 2024 - Incumbent)

External links

Notes and References

  1. President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts . June 19, 2009 . May 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170216174520/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts-6-19-09 . February 16, 2017 . live . . . mdy-all .
  2. Web site: Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott . August 2023 .
  3. Book: Schapiro, Amy . Millicent Fenwick: Her Way. limited. . Piscataway, New Jersey . 2003 . 0-8135-3231-0 . 215.
  4. Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman on Henry A. Wallace Lecture and Dedication of the Wallace Room . . September 29, 1999 . October 28, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520050544/http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/1999/09/0385 . May 20, 2011 . dead .
  5. News: Congressional Record Daily Digest . . Washington, D.C. . February 24, 1998 . D-38. 9780160864599 .
  6. Web site: About the Mission: What We Do . . October 26, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100915143553/http://usunrome.usmission.gov/mission/whatwedo/ . September 15, 2010 . dead .
  7. Web site: Student Internships to the Tri-Mission Rome . . October 27, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090622112002/http://www.usembassy.it/jobs/files/internships.asp . June 22, 2009 . dead .
  8. News: U.S. Tri-Mission Ambassadors participate in the 'Speak Up and Clean Up' initiative in Rome . . April 17, 2010 . September 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100527155952/http://usunrome.usmission.gov/viewer/article.asp?idSite=1&article=%2Ffile2010_04%2Falia%2F10041016.htm . May 27, 2010 . dead .
  9. News: U.N. food agency job is offered to Ohioan . . . February 8, 2002 . A7.
  10. News: State of play: Becoming an ambassador takes time – and paperwork . Laura . Koran . . May 6, 2017.
  11. Web site: Chargé d'Affaires a.i Thomas M. Duffy . . July 13, 2017. Re-retrieved August 1, 2018.
  12. News: Tom confirmed to US post on UN food, ag agencies . Brian . Francisco . . Fort Wayne, Indiana . April 13, 2019 . September 7, 2019.
  13. Book: . . Washington, D.C. . 2006 . 0-16-073176-3 . 1045.
  14. Web site: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . . Washington, D.C. . October 26, 2010.
  15. Web site: Fred J. Eckert (1941–) . . July 13, 2017.
  16. Web site: Gerald J. Monroe (1933–) . . July 13, 2017.
  17. Web site: William H. Marsh (1951–) . . July 13, 2017.
  18. Web site: Thomas Austin Forbord (1944–) . . July 12, 2017.
  19. News: McGovern begins U.N. job . . . April 15, 1998 . 11.
  20. Web site: George Stanley McGovern (1922–2012) . . July 13, 2017.
  21. Web site: Tony P. Hall (1942–) . . July 13, 2017.
  22. Web site: Biography: Gaddi H. Vasquez . . October 23, 2010.
  23. Web site: Ambassador Ertharin Cousin . . October 23, 2010.
  24. Arrival of Ambassador David J. Lane . . July 23, 2012 . August 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120920115005/http://usunrome.usmission.gov/news/ambassador-lane.html . September 20, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  25. News: Remarks by Ambassador David Lane for U.S. Independence Day 2016 . . July 7, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160918010534/https://usunrome.usmission.gov/mobile/news/remarks-ambassador-lane-independence-day-2016.html . September 18, 2016.
  26. Web site: PN144 – Kip Tom – Department of State . 11 April 2019 . . April 12, 2019.
  27. News: Cindy McCain sworn in as new ambassador . . November 5, 2021.