Newly appointed United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Representative and Country Director Brenda Barton (right) formally presented her letter of credentials to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. during a courtesy call at the Department of Foreign Affairs on February 24. She reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to support the government’s programs to enhance food security and nutrition across the nation in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger. Barton and Locsin discussed WFP’s work in the Philippines, which began in 1968, but was formally reestablished in 2006 following the government’s request to WFP to support the ongoing peace process in Mindanao.Brenda Barton started her tenure in the Philippines on February 1 after leading the WFP Sri Lanka Country Office since October 2016. Drawing on her 30-year tenure with WFP, she brings extensive experience in the broad field of food security, nutrition and food systems with a background in communications, partnership and resource mobilization. Her prior experience includes eight years as WFP’s Global Deputy Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Sector Division at its Rome headquarters.
