Former FAO director Davis challenges non-renewal of contract — The Guardian
In Rome, Italy, Benjamin Davis, the former director of a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations division, has challenged the FAO’s decision not to renew his contract. He claims this is related to his work on the issue of hunger in the Gaza Strip, The Guardian reports.
Davis headed the FAO’s Office of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality. According to him, the organization’s management refused to renew his contract after his team published material on hunger in Gaza and held a seminar on the subject. He also took part in weekly minutes of silence on FAO premises in memory of those killed in Gaza.
Davis, 62, who holds Spanish and U.S. citizenship, left the FAO last week after 26 years of service. He said he had filed a formal appeal demanding reinstatement and the withdrawal of allegations against him.
FAO management’s position
An official letter to Davis stated that FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu was no longer confident in his ability to properly perform the duties of a senior international civil servant. The letter referred to provisions of the code of conduct on integrity, impartiality, and restrictions on publicly expressing personal views on controversial issues.
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The FAO did not respond to The Guardian’s request for comment. At the same time, Qu Dongyu, in public remarks last week, apparently referring to Davis’s dismissal, said he would not allow staff to engage in what he called political games under the guise of human rights and threatened to dismiss employees for violating the rules.
Material on hunger in Gaza
According to Davis, FAO management had previously criticized him over an information material his team published in May 2025. The document stated that conditions in the Gaza Strip constituted a grave violation of the right to food and unlawful obstruction of humanitarian aid. Several weeks later, the material was removed from the FAO website at management’s instruction.
A seminar on hunger in Gaza in September 2025 prompted a complaint from Israel’s mission to the FAO and other international organizations in Rome. According to an internal report by FAO staff, an Israeli diplomat photographed participants in the minute of silence in October. Davis said the material, the seminar, and the memorial gatherings had been approved by FAO management, and that he had not been informed at the time of any possible violation of the code of conduct.
