Ben Davis, the former Director of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stated that he lost his position due to his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza. Davis informed the AFP news agency on Wednesday that he was told in July that his contract would not be renewed for allegedly breaching impartiality rules. He claimed that he was accused of organizing weekly silent protests regarding the situation of starvation and famine in Gaza.
Davis also faced criticism for a report he contributed to concerning food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law, which was published in May. He stated, "We were told to take it down. We weren’t allowed to make any references to humanitarian law."
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu reportedly cautioned staff on Tuesday against engaging in discussions related to human rights during a public session. He remarked, "Of course, human rights is very important, but we have the human rights agency in Geneva. If you want to take care, go there." Qu added that some senior members were playing a political game and indicated that he would terminate staff who violated regulations.
FAO did not respond to a request for comment from AFP. When asked if he believed the director-general's remarks were directed at him, Davis responded, "absolutely," noting that he had previously been publicly reprimanded for being too political. He expressed concern over the director-general's comments about potentially firing more staff.
Davis mentioned that attendance at the silent protests peaked with hundreds of participants, but now only 30 to 40 people attend weekly.
As of October 2023, reports indicate that over 74,000 people have died in the conflict in Gaza, with at least 1,431 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire was agreed upon in October 2025.