WASHINGTON, DC (October 26, 2021) The McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University applauds Cindy McCain on her confirmation as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.
A founding member of the McCain Institute, Cindy McCain has served as Board of Trustees Chair since the passing of her husband U.S. Senator John S. McCain in 2018. Following her Senate confirmation, Mrs. McCain will assume the role of Chair Emeritus at the McCain Institute.
“It is an honor to be confirmed by the United States Senate and to receive support from many of my husband’s former colleagues. Leading the McCain Institute has helped prepare me for this role, and I am grateful to President Biden for this opportunity,” said Cindy McCain. “I’m proud of the work we have done at the McCain Institute to advance freedom and security, combat human trafficking, and promote character-driven leadership. I know that my husband’s legacy will live on through the McCain Institute’s dedication to making the world a better place.”
The McCain Institute has long benefited from Cindy McCain’s engagement in humanitarian causes. One of the McCain Institute’s core program areas, Combatting Human Trafficking, launched an online safety campaign, R.E.A.L. Friends Don’t, in response to the increased risk of online child exploitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Institute’s Human Rights Defenders Program has provided direct support to more than 40 human rights activists and journalists around the world who face persecution or personal threats as a direct result of their advocacy.
As part of Arizona State University, the McCain Institute maintains strong roots in Arizona, training nearly 3,300 anti-trafficking stakeholders across the state this year. The Institute was jointly awarded, with the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, a $2.6 million grant — one of the largest ever issued by U.S. Department of State Office of Global Criminal Justice — to implement a three-year project advancing transitional justice in Ukraine and South Sudan.
“Cindy McCain has long been a force for good for the world’s hungry. We are so proud she has been named U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture”, said Josette Sheeran, Executive Chairman of the McCain Institute. “The McCain Institute has been making a difference for 10 years, and while Cindy will be missed, we are all inspired by the impact she will have for the most vulnerable. She is the right choice for the right time and will bring her well-known passion and persuasion to the front lines of ending hunger.”
“I am thrilled for my good friend Cindy McCain and comforted to know that our country will be so well represented in such an important position. I know how proud John would be”, said former Senator Joe Lieberman, Member of the McCain Institute Board of Trustees. “The McCain family’s longstanding commitment to promoting the causes of human rights and human dignity is thriving at the McCain Institute and Cindy McCain will do wonders in her new role.”
“Cindy and John’s joint legacy of service above self are well-represented in the McCain Institute’s programmatic portfolios. We are so proud of Cindy and the good work we know she will do with the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture”, said Elisa Massimino, Member of the McCain Institute Board of Trustees and Director of the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. “With the recent launch of the newly redesigned McCain Global Leaders program, and incredibly timely and meaningful work of our Preventing Targeted Violence programs, the future is bright for the McCain Institute.”
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