FAO Director-General Fires Official Over Gaza Human Rights Advocacy
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu terminated a senior official's contract after the employee organized protests and authored reports regarding starvation and famine in Gaza.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declined to renew the contract of Ben Davis, the director of the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, after 26 years of service. Davis alleges his termination resulted from his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza, specifically for organizing weekly moments of silence at the agency's Rome headquarters and co-authoring a report on food availability and international humanitarian law.
Davis claims the FAO ordered the removal of his report from its website following pressure from the United States and Israel. He further alleges that an Israeli diplomat filmed the staff protests. Davis stated that he was accused of breaching impartiality rules for highlighting starvation and famine in the region.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu defended the agency's actions, warning staff against engaging in what he termed the political game of human rights. Qu asserted that such advocacy belongs at the human rights agency in Geneva rather than the FAO. He confirmed he fired senior members for playing political games and threatened to terminate additional employees who violate staff regulations or the FAO constitution.
