Members of the Board

Of the Executive Board's 36 States Members, 18 are elected by the Economic and Social Council and 18 by the FAO Council. Each State Member serves a three-year term and is eligible for re-election; within electoral Lists and among States Members, agreements could be reached whereby the three-year term is split between more than one State Member. Elections by the Economic and Social Council are normally held in April and those by the FAO Council in December. 

The broader WFP membership including both Board members and observers, and a description of the distribution of seats may also be found in Appendixes A and B of the General Regulations and Rules.

Any Member of the United Nations or any Member or Associate Member of FAO or of any other specialized agency or of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that is not a member of the WFP Board may participate on request in the deliberations of the WFP Board without the right to vote.

The United Nations and FAO are invited to participate in the deliberations of the Board, without the right to vote.

Specialized agencies of the United Nations, IAEA, international organizations, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) cooperating with WFP may be invited by the WFP Executive Director, subject to the direction of the Board, to attend Board sessions without the right to vote.