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Benjamin Davis, formerly the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s director of rural transformation and gender equality, says his contract was not renewed because he criticized Israeli policies in Gaza. His contract ended on 30 September 2026, but the reason for the decision remains disputed: reports also describe FAO’s concern as an alleged failure to meet impartiality and leadership standards. The reports cited here do not establish that Davis was dismissed for misconduct or independently confirm his account of the motive.
What happened to Benjamin Davis at FAO?
Davis’s contract ended on 30 September 2026, after FAO told him it would not be extended beyond that date, according to his account in interviews with The New Humanitarian and Devex. The reports describe a contract non-renewal, not a confirmed disciplinary firing.
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Davis says the decision was connected to his criticism of Israeli policies in Gaza, including staff moments of silence and a brief addressing food availability and international humanitarian law. The stated concern described in the reports, however, was alleged non-compliance with impartiality and leadership standards. FAO did not respond to comment requests from the outlets cited in those reports; that does not establish whether it has commented elsewhere or since.
What does Davis say led to the contract decision?
Staff moments of silence
Davis told AFP, in an account published by Al Jazeera, “They accused me of organising these moments of silence on the situation of starvation and famine in Gaza,” (Al Jazeera). He disputes the idea that he personally organized them. According to The New Humanitarian, Davis said the weekly observance was an informal staff activity coordinated with security, rather than an event he organized himself.
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Davis said the first weekly moment of silence took place on 22 May 2025. His account is the source for both the date and the description of how the activity was arranged.
The food-security and humanitarian-law brief
Davis said a brief combining analysis of food availability and caloric availability with international humanitarian law was published in May 2025. He told AFP, “We were told to take it down,” and added, “We weren’t allowed to make any references to humanitarian law.” He attributed that direction to FAO’s legal office, which he said considered the work beyond the organization’s mandate. The brief and a formal account from the legal office are not included in the cited reporting, so the removal circumstances are not independently established here.
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What reason was given for not renewing his contract?
Davis said a memo dated 1 July 2026 extended his contract through 30 September but stated it would not be renewed beyond that date. As he described it, the memo cited confidence in his senior-management performance under impartiality and leadership standards. The memo itself is not available in the cited reports, so its wording and the rationale are reported through Davis’s account.
This is distinct from a finding that Davis breached impartiality rules. The reporting presents impartiality and leadership as the stated concern, while Davis says the decision was connected to his Gaza-related work and criticism. The available accounts do not resolve that disagreement.
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What is established—and what remains disputed?
- Established in the cited reporting: Davis’s FAO contract ended on 30 September 2026, and he says he was informed it would not be extended.
- Davis’s account: He links the non-renewal to Gaza-related staff observances and his brief on food availability and humanitarian law.
- Reported agency rationale: The concern was described as an alleged failure to meet impartiality and leadership standards; the cited accounts do not establish an adjudicated finding of misconduct.
- Not independently confirmed in these reports: The July memo, the May brief, the reasons it was removed, and who organized the moments of silence.
- FAO response: The cited reports say the organization did not respond to their requests for comment. This does not show that FAO has made no statement elsewhere or later.
What is known about the appeal?
Reuters reported on 2 October 2026 that Davis had appealed the decision, in coverage reproduced by MarketScreener (MarketScreener). The cited report establishes that an appeal was reported, but not its outcome. No appeal filing or decision is available in the reporting cited here.
Why Gaza’s food-security context matters—and what it cannot show
The dispute concerns a brief and staff activity related to Gaza, where severe food insecurity was documented before the current events described in the reporting. FAO said in 2023 that close to 60 percent of households in Gaza were considered food insecure or vulnerable to food insecurity (FAO, 2023). FAO also cited a 2023 IPC report finding at least one in four households—more than half a million people—faced catastrophic acute food insecurity conditions (FAO, 2023).
Those are dated 2023 figures, not current estimates. They provide background to the subject of Davis’s reported work; they do not establish why his contract was not renewed.
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What did FAO’s director-general say about human rights?
Al Jazeera reported remarks by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu that appeared to warn staff against involvement in human-rights issues, quoting him as saying, “we don’t allow you to play the game here of human rights”. The remark is relevant context, but it does not by itself prove the motive for the decision concerning Davis.
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