Volker Türk (born 1965)[1] is an Austrian lawyer and United Nations official. He has been the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since 17 October 2022.[2]
Volker Türk | |
|---|---|
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| United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Michelle Bachelet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Education
Born in Linz, Türk received a Master of Laws from the University of Linz and a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna, Austria.[3][1] His doctoral dissertation at the University of Vienna was on the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its mandate and was published by Duncker & Humblot, Berlin in 1992.[4]
Career
In 1991, Türk became a Junior Professional Officer at the UN and had a temporary assignment in Kuwait funded by the Austrian Foreign Ministry. He then held various posts with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in different regions of the world, including Malaysia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He later became the Director of the Division of International Legal Protection at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.[5] In February 2015, he was appointed Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, making him the highest-ranking Austrian UN official.[1]
On 18 April 2019, Türk was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres to succeed Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the UN Secretariat.[6][7]
From 2021 to 2022, Türk served as Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.[8]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022–present
On 8 September 2022, following the favourable vote of the General Assembly, Türk was selected to succeed Michelle Bachelet of Chile as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;[9][2] at the time, the other candidates included Federico Villegas and Adama Dieng.[10]He assumed office on 17 October 2022.
On 17 April 2023, Türk called on Russian authorities to free the longtime Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza who has been sentenced to a 25-year prison sentence on charges including treason. The sentence is "another blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian Federation", said Türk.[11]
On 9 May 2023, Türk said Iran in that year had an "abominable" track record of executions with an average of more than 10 people hanged each week[12] and called on Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty.[13]
In March 2024, Türk said he recognised "China's advances in alleviating poverty and advancing development" and urged the release of human rights defenders, lawyers and others detained under the “picking quarrels and making trouble” legislation.[14] He also called on China to implement the recommendations in the 2022 UN Human Rights Office report on Xinjiang.[15]
During the Israel-Hamas war, Türk said Israel may be using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, which would amount to a war crime.[16]
Personal life
Türk lives in Geneva.[1]
Awards
In May 2016, Türk was awarded the Human Rights Award of the University of Graz.[17]
Publications
- Erika Feller, Volker Türk, Frances Nicholson (eds.): Refugee Protection in International Law. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003, ISBN 0-521-53281-7.