AMNA NAWAZ: The world faces a food crisis.

Some 345 million people are what's known as food-insecure.

Simply put, they don't have nearly enough to eat.

Last year, the international community filled gaps open by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

But those were largely stopgap measures.

And, today, food systems remain fragile.

The U.N. World Food Program is at the center of confronting those challenges.

Its new executive director is a familiar face to many Americans.

And she spoke with Nick Schifrin.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Cindy McCain, businesswoman, philanthropist and, most recently, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, became the WFP's 14th executive director last month.

Her first trip to the field in that role is to Somalia, which is facing its worst drought in 40 years that killed last year an estimated 43,000 people.

Ambassador McCain joins us from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Ambassador McCain, thank you very much.

Welcome to the "NewsHour."

What are the conditions that Somalis face?

CINDY MCCAIN, Executive Director, World Food Program: Well, they face an uphill battle, number one.

They're not only facing drought and the inability to be able to feed themselves, but they're also facing conflict as well.

So those two combinations are almost a perfect storm for what could be famine.

And, mind you, we kept famine away from Somalia last year, and we're going to try to do our very best to do the same thing this year.

We have to remind people to not forget about Somalia.

We have to remind people that things are really tough in Somalia and why we need their donations and their support for this.

NICK SCHIFRIN: More than 7.5 million Somalis in total -- that's a little less than half of the country -- need assistance, and nearly three million have been displaced by both drought and instability, exactly what you just said.

And many of those live in camps.

You visited a camp as part of your trip on the Ethiopia border, met with families.

What are the challenges that those people face?

CINDY MCCAIN: A lot of people are not eligible yet or have not been able to get assistance.

So they're living there on the hopes that they're going to get assistance.

Remember, because of the funding dropping this year, we're not going to be able to feed as many people as we did last year.

So what we're faced with now is,at the six-month period, telling people we cannot give them any more assistance.

That's a tough decision.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The U.N. request for funding for Somalia is $2.6 billion.

How short are you?

CINDY MCCAIN: Well, we're short probably most of that, to be honest with you.

I mean, we are faced with less money than we were -- we -- was available last year.

And that was unprecedented last year, if I may say.

And so, this year, we're going to have to learn to do more with less, be a little more creative in how we distribute things and how we -- and how we operate.

NICK SCHIFRIN: As you said, Somalia faces these twin crises, both of the drought, but also conflicts.

Some 900,000 Somalis live in areas that are controlled by the militant group Al-Shabaab.

How does that security situation complicate your work?

CINDY MCCAIN: It complicates a lot of it.

And also consider most of all our workers that are there on the ground, our WFP staff.

There is that element of insecurity that we are faced with every day.

And, most of all, the refugees are faced with it every day.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Of course, a lot of this is about climate change.

Somalia has faced five rainy seasons in a row below average.

It's in the middle of the sixth.

Temperatures are hotter.

How does that play out?

And how important is climate adaptation, things like finding new water sources, digging deeper boreholes, rehabilitating infrastructure?

CINDY MCCAIN: What that means for us is, is that we have to be creative.

Talk about -- talking about resilience.

With that comes wells, waters, water management, all the things that you just mentioned, and more, because the ultimate goal in this is to make the Somalis self-sufficient, so they can farm their own land and they can -- they can grow their own food.

NICK SCHIFRIN: I want to switch you over to Sudan, which, of course, is facing a humanitarian crisis, but also the threat of collapse because of violence.

Earlier, in April, three WFP workers were killed.

Two were seriously wounded.

You had to suspend operations.

Yesterday, you announced you could bring back operations in the south and the east.

CINDY MCCAIN: Mm-hmm.

NICK SCHIFRIN: How do you balance the needs of the Sudanese people that you're trying to help with the safety of your staff?

CINDY MCCAIN: We never left Sudan, but we got our -- most of our people out safely.

It is an absolute tragedy, what happened to our three -- our three WFP folks.

We will be resuming operations in four areas in the eastern part of the country.

Security is still a very top concern with that.

And what we're faced but now is the -- is reconfiguring our present.

Food is very short.

Water is very short within Khartoum and other parts of the country.

And the bottom line here is, is that we need help to be able to help these people and give them lifesaving food and water.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ambassador, let me expand out.

Let me zoom you out, if you will.

When your predecessor took his job about six years ago, some 80 million people across the world faced starvation.

Today, that number is 345 million, including 50 million -- quote -- "knocking on famine's door."

What are the causes of that rapid expansion in that global food crisis right now?

CINDY MCCAIN: Well, conflict is certainly a large part of this.

Climate change is a large part of this, and the cost of food and grain.

I mean, it's everything because of what's happening in Ukraine.

And the -- and, of course, our ability or inability to get the grain out has caused the markets to fluctuate.

And so it's affected everything.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The U.S, of course, is the WFP's top donor.

And I do not want to bring politics into this, but I just want to ask one question, that you have said you could never forgive former President Trump for what he said about your late husband.

But are you concerned at all about bipartisan support for WFP if former President Trump becomes the Republican candidate or indeed the president again?

CINDY MCCAIN: No, I have to believe in the good hearts of our -- of not only our American politicians, but people around the world.

The United States is the largest donor to WFP.

But, again, we have many other donors as well.

So my job is to not only tell the story, especially about countries like Somalia, but help them understand the importance and the necessity to be sizable donors, but to respect the people that are -- that are so seriously hurt and vulnerable on the ground.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ambassador Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program, thank you very much.

CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.

Thank you.