Ben Davis, a former senior director at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, says the agency did not renew his contract after he criticised Israeli policies in Gaza and took part in staff actions. Davis told AFP that he was informed in July that his contract would end because he had allegedly breached impartiality rules.
Dispute over staff activities
Davis said he was accused of organising weekly moments of silence concerning starvation and famine in Gaza. He also said a report he worked on about food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law was criticised and that staff were told to remove it. Davis served as FAO’s director of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality.
Comments by the agency’s director-general
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in filmed public remarks that the organisation did not allow staff to “play the game” of human rights and referred to firing staff he believed had breached rules. Davis said he believed the comments referred to him and voiced concern about the remarks.
The case raises questions about impartiality rules, staff expression and how UN agencies discuss human rights concerns. Davis’s account is his explanation of why his contract was not renewed. FAO did not respond to an AFP request for comment in the report, so the agency’s full position on his case was not available.
