Benjamin Davis, a senior director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), says he was dismissed because his team published a brief on hunger in Gaza, held a seminar on the subject, and he joined weekly moments of silence on FAO grounds for those killed in Gaza.

Davis, who left the Rome headquarters last week after 26 years with the organization, has filed a formal appeal seeking reinstatement. FAO leadership declined to renew the contract of Davis, who directed the agency's rural transformation and gender equality division.

FAO Director General Qu Dongyu then appeared to refer to the dismissal in public remarks last Tuesday, warning that he would fire more staff over their political activism.

Qu: Human rights belong in Geneva

Speaking publicly last Tuesday, Qu appeared to reference Davis' dismissal and told staff the FAO would not be a place for what he called "the game of human rights." He said human rights matter, before adding that a dedicated agency exists in Geneva for them and that anyone who wants to pursue them should go there.

Qu said he fires senior staff who "play political games" at the FAO, suggested Davis had breached staff regulations, and described himself as "a very soft person" who had not dismissed many people. He said he would use his final year in office to fire more if staff acted against the rules.

Davis said the remarks stunned his colleagues. The threat to dismiss more employees was one thing, he told The Guardian, but what struck people most was Qu's dismissal of human rights, which he said undermines the reason the FAO sits within the United Nations. He pointed to the agency's own slogan, "Leave no one behind."

Source:Websites