Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The narrator
The UN General Assembly voted 144-10 to grant Turk a new four-year term, despite opposition from the US, Israel and Russia.
Volker Turk has been appointed as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for another four years, despite strong opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel.
The vote of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday means Turk, who will hold the post until 2022, will be the first person to hold the UN human rights chief for two years since it was established in 1993.
Recommended Articles
list of things 3end of series
Who is Turk and why has his appointment caused controversy?
Who is Volker Turk?
Turk, who is an Austrian lawyer, joined the United Nations in 1999 and went to work in the refugee agency. These included positions in Malaysia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He later held senior positions at UN headquarters in New York, including as assistant secretary-general for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The two are believed to have a close relationship.
In his role as UN chief, Turk has been strongly opposed to all of this Israel’s war of destruction in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also spoke about conflicts and violations of rights in Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nicaragua.
How was he re-instated?
The UN General Assembly strongly agreed with Guterres’ decision to give Turkey another four years with 144 votes in favor, 10 against and 13 against.
Earlier, the meeting rejected the US proposal to delay the vote until the end of next week and Russia’s demand to extend the Turkish state’s deadline until the end of the year.
How has Turk angered the US, Russia and Israel?
The role of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is controversial because it seeks to criticize UN member states for violating their rights.
Turk’s outspoken political opposition to Israel, Russia and the US has put him at odds with the three countries.
Turk has repeatedly criticized Israel’s murderous war in Gaza, its massacres in Lebanon, and the “shameful” lack of responsibility for the violation of its rights in the Palestinian territories.
Turk also said that Russia’s war in Ukraine is “senseless” and “a complete disregard for the UN Charter and all international laws”.
In the US, he complained about the war in Iran and the “destruction” of refugees under President Donald Trump, referring to the “persecution and humiliation of immigrants and refugees”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel criticized Turk’s record, saying that under his leadership, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights “has erased the atrocities that occurred on October 7, the misuse of funds, and demonstrated the neutrality of the UN instead of corrupt politics”.
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Chumakov, accused the Turks of being biased and saying nonsense against Russia.
What objections were raised to Turk’s re-election?
Mr Guterres, whose term expires at the end of this year, has been criticized for his re-election. Critics say the vote was rushed and the choice of a liberal leader should have been left to his successor.
The UN secretary-general, whose term expires in December, sent letters to UN bodies earlier this month informing them of his intention to re-elect the Turks, and they voted a few weeks later.
The US State Department condemned the vote for expulsion and said it was “another example of corruption and incompetence at the UN”.
The US also accused Turk of “ignoring real atrocities and instead pursuing radical ideology”. US Deputy Ambassador Jeff Bartos said before Friday’s vote that Turkey’s re-election would prove that the General Assembly is “not going well”.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has called Guterres’ push for a second term for Turk a “moral failure,” saying the decision should be left to his successor.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres followed UN rules and acted “in a transparent manner” in choosing Turkey, including in consultation with member states and regional groups.
What other criticism did Turk face?
Turk’s critics say he should have done more to publicly follow the report of his predecessor, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who said China’s detention of Uighurs and many other Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang could be a crime against humanity.
Turkey too stopped joining the independent experts on human rights at the UN who criticized Israel for killing Palestinians in Gaza.
Turk’s office said he used secrecy with Beijing and his public declaration to support human rights in China.
