Former UN food agency official claims he was fired for highlighting hunger in Gaza

Benjamin Davis, a former senior official at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is appealing his dismissal. Davis alleges his contract was not renewed because his team highlighted hunger in Gaza through a published brief and a seminar last year. He also participated in weekly "moment of silence" vigils for those killed in Gaza. The FAO's director general, Qu Dongyu, publicly stated he would fire senior members for playing "political games," suggesting Davis violated staff regulations. Davis, who served 26 years at FAO, believes this approach undermines the organization's human rights foundation. The dismissal letter cited concerns about his ability to discharge obligations as a senior international civil servant and limits on public expression of views on controversial matters.

A senior director at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ben Davis, stated he lost his job because he criticized Israeli policies in Gaza. Davis, formerly Director of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality, was informed in July that his contract would not be renewed due to alleged breaches of impartiality rules. He was accused of organizing silent protests at the Rome-based organization regarding the situation in Gaza and of working on a report about food availability and humanitarian law there, which he was reportedly told to remove. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, in public comments, warned staff against playing "the game of human rights" and stated he would fire those against the FAO constitution and staff regulations.