WFP is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 Member States.
The organization is headed by an Executive Director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary General and the Director-General of FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization). The Executive Director is appointed for fixed five-year terms.
The current Executive Director is Josette Sheeran, who was appointed in 2007. She is responsible for the administration of WFP as well as the implementation of its programmes, projects and other activities. WFP also has four Deputy Executive Directors, with specific briefs.
The organization's strategic direction is mapped out in its Strategic Plan, which is renewed every four years. The latest Plan, approved by the board in 2008, marks a historic shift from WFP as a food aid agency to WFP as a food assistance agency, with a more nuanced set of tools to respond to critical hunger needs.
WFP relies entirely on voluntary contributions for its funding. Its principal donors are governments, but we also receive donations from the private sector and individuals. In 2009 we need more than US$ 6 billion to meet the world's most urgent hunger needs.
