Ben Davis, who served as Director of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality at the Food and Agriculture Organization, stated that he lost his position after his contract was not renewed in July. According to Davis, the decision was attributed to allegations that he violated impartiality guidelines through his activities at the Rome-based organization.
Davis indicated that he faced criticism for initiating weekly moments of silence addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He stated that officials explicitly instructed him to remove a report he had contributed to regarding food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law, which was published in May. Davis said they were directed not to include references to humanitarian law in the document.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu made public remarks on Tuesday cautioning staff members against engaging in what he characterized as “the game” of human rights advocacy. During comments made at the beginning of a filmed forestry session, Qu stated that while human rights holds importance, the FAO is not the appropriate venue for such activities, noting that Geneva hosts the relevant human rights agency. He indicated that senior staff members who engage in what he termed political activities face termination, stating he had already dismissed some individuals for violating staff regulations and threatened further dismissals for those acting against organizational law.
Davis responded to the director-general’s remarks by stating he believed they were directed at him, noting he had previously been publicly reprimanded for being overly political. He expressed concern about Qu’s statements regarding potential future terminations. Davis noted that attendance at the weekly moments of silence has fluctuated, with participation dropping from hundreds at peak attendance to approximately 30 to 40 individuals currently. The FAO did not provide a response to inquiries about the matter.
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