United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture


The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and thus is the United States 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. One formal title of this position is United States Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service.

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. 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. As with regular ambassadorial posts, nominations are made by the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate is required. As head of the mission, the ambassador sees over staff from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Agency for International Development.
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 and the Embassy of the United States to the Holy See. The three ambassadors sometimes engage in joint activities.
Through 2019, there have been eleven Ambassadors to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, who 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; George McGovern was a former United States Senator and the 1972 Democratic Party presidential nominee; and Tony P. Hall was a long-time sitting member of the House who resigned his seat in order to take on the role. 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 Officers. 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:
  1. Millicent Fenwick
  2. Fred J. Eckert
  3. Gerald J. Monroe
  4. William H. Marsh
  5. Thomas Austin Forbord
  6. George McGovern
  7. Tony P. Hall
  8. Gaddi Vasquez
  9. Ertharin Cousin
  10. David J. Lane
  11. Kip E. Tom