FAO director Ben Davis says contract was not renewed over criticism of Israel — Dawn

In Rome, Italy, Ben Davis, a director at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, said that after 26 years of work at the institution, his contract was not renewed. According to him, he was informed of this in July over alleged violations of impartiality rules. Davis linked this to his criticism of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip, Dawn reports.

Silent protests and report on Gaza

Davis said he was accused of organizing weekly silent protests by FAO employees in connection with starvation and hunger in Gaza. According to him, hundreds of people took part during the period of greatest activity, while about 30–40 employees now attend each week.

According to Davis, the complaints also concerned a report on food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law, which he worked on and which was published in May. He said the report was ordered to be removed and references to humanitarian law were banned.

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Comments by the FAO chief

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in public comments at the start of a recorded forestry session that employees are not allowed to engage with human rights issues within the organization. He also said that human rights are important, but are handled by the relevant UN agency in Geneva.

Qu Dongyu added that he would dismiss employees whom he believes violate the law or staff rules. Davis said he was convinced that these comments referred specifically to him. According to him, the director-general had previously publicly rebuked him for being excessively political. FAO did not respond to a request for comment.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry, more than 74,000 people have been killed since the start of Israeli bombardment in October 2023. The UN considers these figures reliable.