OMM Redaksiyası
UN experts on Tuesday called on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to uphold human rights and protect its staff amid concerns over the treatment of officials who worked on food insecurity and starvation in the Gaza Strip.
The experts raised concerns about remarks by the FAO director-general that appeared to link the departure of senior officials to their engagement with human rights issues.
“Human rights principles are not peripheral to the FAO’s mandate; they are central to it,” the experts said.
They said documenting starvation in Gaza was consistent with the agency’s mandate to combat hunger and did not breach its impartiality.
The experts warned that potential reprisals could foster a climate of fear among staff and undermine the UN’s credibility. They urged the FAO to uphold the UN Charter and called on member states to hold the agency’s leadership accountable.
They also said human rights commitments should be central to the selection of the next FAO director-general in 2027.
