Food for Thought and Democracy with David Beasley

Join us Thursday, June 11, at 6 p.m. for a compelling conversation with former Governor of South Carolina, David Beasley. As former executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Beasley will discuss how democracy can be improved by returning to the fundamentals: sharing a meal together and putting humanity before politics. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. will moderate this conversation.

Beasley will share how he used food as a tool for peace and how food is one of the most powerful tools we have for healing our country. He will also reflect on his leadership advocating for the removal of the Confederate flag from the statehouse dome, which earned him the John F. Kennedy Profile of Courage Award.

ATTEND: Register here to attend the program in person at the Clinton Center. The program will be available on our YouTube channel the following day.

ASL interpretation is available during our events.

This program is presented by the Clinton Foundation.

More about the speaker

David Beasley is a distinguished leader, humanitarian, and former Governor of South Carolina (1995–1999). He most recently served as the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) from 2017 to April 2023. In this role, he was nominated by two U.S. presidential administrations from different parties and appointed by the UN Secretary-General.

Under Beasley’s leadership, WFP became the largest humanitarian organization in the world, assisting more than 160 million people in 2022 alone and raising more than $55 billion to combat global hunger. In 2020, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of WFP for its efforts to provide food assistance in conflict areas and prevent food from being used as a weapon of war.

Beasley has also been recognized for his courageous leadership beyond humanitarian work, receiving the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award for taking a stand on the Confederate Flag issue in South Carolina.

He is married to Mary Wood Payne, and they have four children and four grandchildren. Today, Beasley remains an influential advocate for global food security, humanitarian action, and international cooperation.

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