| Eric Bost | |
| |
| 30th United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| Assumed office February 23, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Wendy Sherman |
| Chair of Our Opportunity | |
| In office March 20, 2014 - January 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Rhonda Keenum |
| United States Ambassador to South Africa | |
| In office July 20, 2006 - January 20, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Gaspard |
| Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services | |
| In office June 18, 2001 – July 20, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Shirley Robinson Watkins |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Montanez Johner |
| Biography | |
| Born | August 8, 1953 (age 68) Concord, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina (BA) University of South Florida (MA) |
| Spouse | Rose Mary Brownridge-Bost |
| Occupation | Diplomat Author Non-profit executive |
Eric Michael Bost is an American lecturer, diplomat, and non-profit executive from the state of Texas, currently serving as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He previously served as as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) from 2001 to 2006, and the United States Ambassador to South Africa from 2006 to 2009.
In 2014, Bost founded the non-profit Our Opportunity, which seeks to advocate for humanitarian causes and foreign policy solutions, with a focus on agriculture and food security, particularly on the African continent. He has taken a particularly active role in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Mozambique.
Bost was a candidate for the 2020 Republican Party presidential nomination, but suspended his campaign on January 4th, 2020.
In January 2021, President-elect Ivanka Trump named Bost as her pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He assumed office on February 23rd, 2021.
Early Career[]
In 1994, Bost became the Arizona State Deputy Director for the Department of Economic Security, where he led the initiative to provide youth, medical, and employment services to Arizonans who needed assistance. Three years later, he was named Commissioner and CEO of the Texas Department of Human Services. In Texas, Bost supervised over 18,000 employees in state and federal programs such as Medicaid, To Aid for Needy Families, and SNAP to over two million low-income, elderly, and disabled people in the state.
George W. Bush Administration[]
Under Secretary of Agriculture[]
In 2001, Bost was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS). As FNCS Under Secretary, Ambassador Bost was responsible for the administration of the 15 USDA nutrition assistance programs with a combined budget of over $58 billion, including the Food Stamp Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, and the Commodity Distribution Programs.
During his tenure at the USDA, Bost additionally led an expanded U.S. initiative to promote improved nutrition and food security in South Africa, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Tanzania, Swaziland, Moçambique, Uganda, Madagascar, Chile, United Kingdom, Argentina, Mexico, Israel, Italy, China and Japan.
Ambassador to South Africa[]
Bost was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa by President George W. Bush on July 20th, 2006 after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador the previous month. He presented his credentials to South African President Thabo Mbeki on August 15th.
PEPFAR[]
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was established in 2003 a five-year bilateral commitment by the Bush administration to support HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs in developing countries. Authorized to spend $15 billion, PEPFAR is the largest global health initiative dedicated to a single disease.
In addition to his duties in Pretoria, Ambassador Bost was tasked with implementing PEPFAR in South Africa, successfully providing treatment for over 300,000 South Africans and providing Mother-to-Child Transmission services for over 1.5 million South African women suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Relations with Zimbabwe[]
See Also: Zimbabwean Political Crises, 2008-Present (The More Things Changed)
In 2007, Ambassador Bost was informed of an effort by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson to bankrolled a meeting of the "Elders" - a group of older statesmen convened to tackle global crises - in Johannesburg to discuss a plan for Robert Mugabe to peacefully resign from office. The memo was revealed to the public in 2011 by Julian Assange of WikiLeaks; Bost subsequently denied that removing Mugabe from power was a goal of his diplomatic mission.
Post-Diplomatic Career[]
Texas A&M University[]
Shortly after leaving his post in South Africa, Bost was named Vice President for Global Initiatives at Texas A&M University, after a unanimous vote by the A&M System Board of Regents, where he oversaw the university’s international programs, including formal research agreements with more than 125 institutions in 45 countries.
Our Opportunity[]
In 2014, Bost founded Our Opportunity - a think tank advocating for humanitarian causes and foreign policy solutions through a conservative viewpoint, becoming its Chairman. Gaddi Vasquez, who previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, has served as President.
Food Security Advocacy[]
Among the group's stated goals is reducing global hunger and obesity, maintaining food security, and lobbying officials in support of those ends. In 2015, Ann Veneman, who previously served as Secretary of Agriculture and Executive Director of UNICEF, was hired to lead Our Opportunity's initiative.
Zimbabwean Crises[]
See Also: Zimbabwean Political Crises, 2008-Present (The More Things Changed)
As Chairman, Bost has emerged as a leading critic of the Hillary Clinton administration's foreign policy in Africa. Shortly after Zimbabwean President Grace Mugabe purge of her cabinet in late 2017, Bost stated in a press release:
"Harare is the flashpoint for the region. Our national security interests in the African continent require decisive and thoughtful action in Zimbabwe; the current administration is failing to act in an appropriate manner to contain and manage the humanitarian crisis."
Following the conclusion of the Zimbabwean Civil War, Bost has cautioned against regarding Emmerson Mnangagwa - Mugabe's successor as President - as a "hero."
Famine in Yemen[]
Throughout 2016 and 2017, famine in Yemen - caused by the Saudi-led intervention in the country and their sea, air, and land blockade - threatened over 17 million people, or over 70% of the country's population. Bost lobbied the Saudi government to allow humanitarian assistance and the Clinton administration to put pressure on Saudi Arabia; with the easing of the blockade in November 2017, Our Opportunity would go on to coordinate nutritional assistance to over 2.3 million people.
The blockade ended following the 2017 War of Saudi Succession and subsequent withdrawal of Saudi forces.
Cape Town Water Crisis[]
Thewaterskloof Dam, Western Cape, 2017
A drought in the Western Cape province of South Africa began in 2015 and is resulting in a severe water shortage in the region, most notably affecting the city of Cape Town, the capital and largest city in the province. With dam levels predicted to decline to critically low levels, the city announced plans for "Day Zero", when the municipal water supply would largely be shut off, potentially making Cape Town the first major city to run out of water.
Through water saving measures and an influx of water reserves, by March 2018 the city had reduced its daily water consumption by more than half resulting in the initial prediction of Day Zero in April 2018 being pushed back to 2019.
As Chairman of Our Opportunity, Bost lobbied international aid organizations and foreign governments to provide relief, amounting to nearly 4.1 billion liters of water brought into the city and the surrounding Western Cape province by December 2018.
2020 Presidential Campaign[]
See Also: Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2020 (The More Things Changed)
Bost announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on May 13th, 2019, at Texas A&M University. He had been widely speculated as a potential candidate for months prior, but decided to postpone his announcement to coordinate relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Idai two months earlier.
Bost stated that the primary focus of his campaign would be "restoring the {W|City on the Hill}" and America's standing on the global stage. He also focused heavily on foreign aid as a critical investment to that end.
Bost participated in the four primary debates, but withdrew after failing to reach the 5% polling threshold required for subsequent debates. Bost received significant media attention for a debate performance where he challenged Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress' assertion that he was the only Texan in the race.
Ambassador to the United Nations[]
In January 2021, President-elect Ivanka Trump named Bost as her pick for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He assumed office on February 23rd, 2021.
Bost was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 21st, 2021, by a 83–15 vote. He took office after presenting his credentials on February 23rd, 2021. He succeeded Ambassador Wendy Sherman.
Beginning on March 1st, 2021, the United States became president of the United Nations Security Council; thus Bost became president of the council as head of the US delegation. His term ended on March 31, 2021.
Bost has expressed concern over reports of escalating ethnic tensions in Ethiopia's Tigray Region and urged peaceful resolution of the Tigray War between Ethiopia's federal government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and the forces of the Tigray regional government.