This week, the head of the world's largest humanitarian organization is stepping down.

Cindy McCain has led the World Food Program for three tumultuous years through unprecedented humanitarian crises and global funding cuts.

Nick Schifrin speaks with McCain now about her legacy and the future of humanitarian assistance at a moment when international aid covers less

than half of what the world needs.

Across the globe, the World Food Program says that more than 315 million people face

acute hunger.

And for the last three years, Executive Director Cindy McCain has confronted multiple crises,

two simultaneous declared famines, unprecedented

attacks on humanitarian workers, from Gaza to Ukraine, and widespread funding cuts, including

by the United States government.

Her final day is Sunday, and she joins me now.

Cindy McCain, thanks very much.

Welcome back to the NewsHour.

It's always a pleasure.

Let me just start with that big number that I just mentioned.

315 million. That's more than double the number that it was in 2019. How have so many become so hungry?

You know, I think it's a combination of things. There's so many new conflicts that have erupted around the globe.

We've had climate change issues, as you know, we've had major environmental impacts with hurricanes and with typhoons around the globe.

It's really the perfect storm for food insecurity.

As I just laid out, you've had a tumultuous run as executive director, if it's okay for me

to explain that.

Two simultaneous famines in Gaza and Sudan declared we've never seen that in the past.

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