UN official says criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job

A senior official at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza cost him his job, while the agency’s director-general warned staff against engaging in human rights-related campaigns within the organisation.

Ben Davis, director of the FAO’s Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, said in a media statement on Wednesday that he was informed in July that his contract would not be renewed after 26 years at the agency. He said the decision was attributed to concerns that he had violated rules on neutrality.

“They accused me of organizing these silent vigils to protest the conditions of starvation and famine in Gaza,” Davis said, referring to weekly silent gatherings organised by employees at the FAO’s headquarters in Rome.

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Davis said he was also criticised over a report he helped prepare on food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law that was published in May.

“We were asked to withdraw it,” he said. “We were not allowed to refer to humanitarian law.”

Separately, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu warned employees on Tuesday against engaging in activities or campaigns focused on human rights within the agency.

Qu made the remarks during a public intervention at the beginning of a video session on forests.

“Human rights are very important, of course, but we have a human rights agency in Geneva,” he said. “Whoever is concerned about this should go there.”

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