UN rights chief Turk said to face opposition from Israel and Russia to new term
United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk, an outspoken critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s conduct in Gaza, faces opposition from both countries to a second four-year term ahead of a potentially contentious vote on Friday, diplomats tell Reuters.
High Commissioner Turk, an Austrian lawyer who has worked for the United Nations for decades in major offices like Geneva and field locations like Kosovo, ends his first four-year term in October.
UN documents showed he was proposed for another term until October 2030 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has worked closely with Turk in the past and who steps down in December.
However, Russia has submitted a counter-proposal to extend his term by just over two months, until the end of 2026, according to a copy seen by Reuters. Three diplomats say that Israel also opposes a four-year extension and that Washington had raised doubts, turning what had been expected to be a consensus-backed reappointment into a contentious vote.
Others have also privately questioned another full term, saying the matter should instead be determined by Guterres’ successor, when the U.N. chief’s decade-long tenure finishes in December. “It’s up to the next SG,” one diplomat said.
Russia and Israel’s diplomatic missions did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When asked about his reappointment earlier this week, a spokesperson for Turk’s office, Thameen Al-Kheetan, declined comment, adding: “I believe the High Commissioner is ready to serve.”