12/4/2002
Catherine Bertini

Catherine Bertini was born in New York State in 1950. Although not an exceptional student, she was a talented musician and whilst growing up considered the idea of becoming a music teacher. She rejected this career however in favour of another passion - the world of politics - and she embarked upon a degree in political science at the State University of New York at Albany.

Her choice was to prove an apposite one as she became active in student and local government in addition to her studies. Her political knowledge grew as she worked as a legislative aide for her homeland state senator, whilst her understanding of social problems developed through volunteer work with youth groups and a homeless women's shelter. By the time she graduated she had made the decision to pursue a career in government service.

Her first job after graduation was in the office of the New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller. After less than a year, she was named director of youth activities for the New York Republican State Committee, a role she later also undertook for the Republican National Committee.

In 1977, she entered private industry joining the Container Corporation of America to supervise government relations, philanthropic activities and public affairs. She continued in this role for ten years before returning to government service in 1987. Her first assignment was in the Department of Health and Human Services, implementing welfare reforms to aid families with dependent children. In 1989 she moved to the Department of Agriculture, where, over four years, she directed 13 food assistance programmes, benefiting 25 million children. In 1992, she founded the Breastfeeding Promotion Consortium and over the next five years the United States registered a 12 per cent increase in its number of nursing mothers.

It was on this record that she was approached to head the world's largest food aid agency - the UN World Food Programme (WFP). She was appointed Executive-Director in 1992 - the first American woman to head a UN organisation as well as the first woman to lead WFP. Her task was to carry out the agency's dual mandate: to avert starvation in humanitarian crises through emergency operations and to promote long-term development projects aimed at breaking the deeply rooted hunger-poverty cycle. She has become perhaps best known in this role for her work in highlighting the pivotal role of women in food distribution, pioneering the use of food aid to empower women and girls, and ensuring that women are represented fully at all levels throughout WFP's programmes. Under her leadership, WFP's share of global food aid rose steadily. In 1997 she was appointed for her second five-year term that has just come to its end.

In March 2000, her fiftieth year, Ms Bertini received an even greater challenge as she was named the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, her object being to avert a drought-induced famine. It was part of WFP's overall mission and helped ensure that more than 80 million people were fed by the agency that year alone.

Just prior to her retirement from WFP last month she was honoured, as part of the celebrations marking International Women's Day, for her work in drawing global attention to the impoverished and hungry women who constitute 70 per cent of the world's poor. EuropaWorld also commends Catherine Bertini for her significant contributions to this vital global agency and its fight against global hunger. We wish her well for her next appointment.