The Foreign Ministry had called Guterres\u2019s re-proposal of Turk a \u201cmoral failure\u201d and said the choice should be left to the secretary-general\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n
Turk has condemned what he calls Israel\u2019s \u201cmass killing\u201d<\/a> in Gaza, while some, including his own staff, have expressed regret that he did not call the killings a genocide \u2014 an allegation Israel vehemently denies.<\/p>\n While Turk got strong support, the votes and speeches also reflected concern that Guterres quietly nominated the Austrian lawyer this month after private consultations, with no public discussion.<\/p>\n US deputy ambassador Jeff Bartos warned before the vote that reappointing Turk would prove that the General Assembly \u201cis dysfunctional\u201d and that the vote \u201cwas quietly shoved onto the agenda at the last minute to bypass meaningful review.<\/p>\n \u201cMake no mistake, if this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals and the misuse of UN posts, there will be consequences,\u201d he warned. \u201cThe United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation and funding.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trump administration already owes nearly $4 billion to the UN<\/a> for its regular dues and for the separate budget for UN peacekeeping operations.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s deputy ambassador, Dmitry Chumakov, said Guterres had sown discord among UN members and accused Turk of \u201cpolitical bias\u201d and promoting \u201cWestern geopolitical interests under the pretext of concern for human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Speaking for the European Union, Ireland\u2019s UN Ambassador Fergal Mythen reaffirmed the 27-nation bloc\u2019s \u201cwholehearted support\u201d for Turk.<\/p>\n \u201cThe European Union believes that Mr. Turk has demonstrably fulfilled responsibilities entrusted to him effectively and with integrity in an objective and non-selective manner over the past four years,\u201d Mythen said. He takes on another term when \u201cthe multiplication of obstacles and challenges and rights violations is relentless, and the promotion and protection of all human rights becomes ever more contested.\u201d<\/p>\n Guterres, whose own second five-year term ends Dec. 31, sent letters to regional groups at the United Nations this month informing them of his intention to reappoint Turk. The African group had no objection, but the Latin American countries had several, including Nicaragua, Argentina and Paraguay.<\/p>\n Guterres \u2018following rules\u2019 on reappointment, UN says<\/p>\n UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres was following the 1993 resolution that established a UN high commissioner for human rights and allows for a second term.<\/p>\n \u201cThe secretary-general is doing things in a very transparent manner, following the rules and his authority,\u201d Dujarric told reporters Friday. \u201cConsultations were had with member states prior to this and with regional groups.\u201d<\/p>\n \t As human rights chief, the longtime UN functionary who worked for Guterres at United Nations headquarters in New York, Turk has expressed concerns on issues in China as diverse as the fate of detained individuals \u2014 like artist Gao Zhen, lawyer Yu Wensheng and media mogul Jimmy Lai \u2014 and counterterrorism and assimilation practices that affect ethnic minorities including the Uyghurs in the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Tibet.<\/p>\n Critics insist he could have done more to publicly follow up on a report issued by his predecessor, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, that said China\u2019s discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang may amount to crimes against humanity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former head of Human Rights Watch Ken Roth said: \u201cThe biggest stain on Turk\u2019s reputation is his utter abandonment of the Uyghurs.\u201d<\/p>\n Turk has used both private engagement with Beijing and public advocacy to support human rights in China, his office said. Roth called that \u201can admission that he is doing nothing, that he\u2019s putting the plight of the Uyghurs on the deep back burner, and is just pretending to care.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chinese government denies the Uyghurs have been or are being persecuted. It maintains its policies in Xinjiang rooted out terrorism and religious extremism after sporadic bouts of violence rocked the region in previous decades.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers his speech at the opening of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on September 8, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260520__B3EN2NR__v1__HighRes__JapanUn-e1779997579266.jpg\")
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\n\t\tSecretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on May 20, 2026. (Kazuhiro NOGI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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