UN watchdog demands World Bank fire senior economist over social media posts

EXCLUSIVE — A United Nations watchdog organization is calling on the World Bank to terminate the employment of its Senior Country Economist in Tunisia, Massimiliano Cali. 

U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer claims that Cali’s social media posts violated his neutrality obligations as a World Bank employee. 

“If this was just one or two infractions, that would be one thing. But this is someone who has embraced Hamas and acted as their apologist for over a decade,” Neuer told FOX Business. He also criticized the World Bank’s alleged lack of action.

According to a letter Neuer addressed to World Bank President Ajay Banga, Cali “openly and regularly” posted statements promoting “Holocaust inversion” and inciting violence.

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“As you must be aware, for over 13 years Mr. Cali has been openly and regularly publishing statements on Facebook that promote Holocaust inversion and incite antisemitism, Jihadi terrorism, and anti-American extremism,” Neuer wrote.

A list of Cali’s posts that Neuer says violate his obligations as a World Bank employee, can be found on U.N. Watch’s website. Neuer confirmed to FOX Business that some of the posts in the archive have since been deleted, though he does not know whether this was a result of U.N. Watch putting a “spotlight” on Cali or if something else made the economist take them down.

Some of the most egregious examples include a post in which Cali claimed that Western countries backing Israel “directly supported” genocide. The claim was based on a UN report by his wife, Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, a controversial figure who has been condemned by multiple governments and is facing U.S. sanctions. In another post, Cali shared a petition demanding the International Criminal Court charge Israel with war crimes. 

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The social media posts cataloged on U.N. Watch’s website span more than a decade, including a July 2014 post in which Cali accused the U.S. of arming Israel to “kill more Palestinian children.” At the time, Israel was engaged in Operation Protective Edge, a 50-day military campaign that resulted in more than 2,200 Palestinian fatalities in Gaza and 73 Israeli deaths.

“We thought it was time to call on the World Bank and hold them to account for the fact that for over a decade, a leading official has been… engaged in inflammatory rhetoric that supports Hamas,” Neuer told FOX Business.

Neuer said his organization is also seeking to understand how this was allowed to happen, given that Cali’s posts were made on public platforms.

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“Many of his Facebook friends, no doubt, are World Bank colleagues. He didn’t hide it. Why did they allow this to happen?”

The U.N. Watch chief added that Cali’s posts have caused “reputational damage” to the World Bank, and pointed out that the economist has been banned from entering the U.S. under Executive Order 14203.

The order, titled “Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court,” is designed to sanction individuals associated with actions against American interests. Neuer cites Cali’s promotion of Albanese’s statements targeting the U.S. and Israel.

A World Bank spokesperson sent FOX Business a statement saying, “The World Bank Group has zero tolerance for racism and discrimination in all forms, including antisemitism, as affirmed in our Code of Ethics. When notified of potential violations, we work with staff and managers to ensure understanding of our expectations and require removal of any posts that do not meet them. Staff who have been deemed to have engaged in hate speech are no longer with the World Bank and are banned from future employment. We are reviewing content to ensure continued compliance and will take appropriate action within our internal policies if issues arise.”

The World Bank took disciplinary action against Cali, and posts that crossed the line into hate speech were deleted. Additionally, Cali’s social media presence appears to have diminished in recent months, as FOX Business was unable to locate an active X or Instagram account for him. However, his Facebook page is still active and contains a handful of posts related to his wife’s work and other pro-Palestinian content.