FAO shows the door to its pro-Palestinian staffer

A former senior UN food agency official has said he has launched an appeal against his dismissal, alleging it was motivated by his stance on hunger in Gaza, in a case that has exposed tensions within the Rome-based organisation.

Benjamin Davis, 62, a Spanish American director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was informed his employment would end on September 30 at the request of Director-General Qu Dongyu, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The papers cited breaches of international civil service standards which require staff to act with impartiality. Davis rejected the allegation.

JOINED MOMENTS OF SILENCE FOR GAZA

"I feel it’s a terrible injustice. I’ve been disciplined without due process for speaking up about a subject at the core of FAO’s mandate about the right to food which is the most basic of human rights," he told Reuters. He said he had filed an appeal.

The FAO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Davis' allegations or on the grounds for his dismissal.

Davis, said he had worked at the FAO for 26 years on a renewable contract, and that his dismissal was linked to staff activism over the Gaza war.

He was one of hundreds of employees who have joined moments of silence for hunger victims in Gaza where an international hunger-monitoring system used by UN agencies determined famine in August 2025.

He also authored a report on food availability in the Palestinian enclave in May 2025.

The dispute burst into public view this week when Qu, speaking at a FAO conference, defended the dismissal of an unnamed staff member whom he accused of having "played the political game". 

"We will not allow you to play the game here of human rights," Qu said.

DEBATE OVER STAFF ACTIVISM

The remarks prompted fresh debate about whether UN employees are able to express views on humanitarian crises without jeopardising their careers.

A large crowd of staff gathered at FAO headquarters in Rome on Wednesday to applaud Davis as he departed, according to U.N. officials and video seen by Reuters.

Under UN rules, staff are allowed to express political opinions but must ensure these do not adversely affect their official duties or UN interests.

Davis, who was head of the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division, said he was concerned that other employees would face retaliation over their participation in the Gaza moments of silence.

The case, now with the FAO's internal justice process, could later be escalated to a UN tribunal which has the authority to award damages in employment disputes.