Opposition Clouds Turk’s Bid for Second UN Rights Term

GENEVA-United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk faces opposition to a second four-year term from Russia and Israel ahead of a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Friday, diplomats told Reuters, complicating what had been expected to be a routine reappointment.

Turk, an Austrian lawyer who has spent decades in the United Nations system, completes his first four-year term in October. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who leaves office in December, has nominated him for another full term after working closely with him during his tenure.

Russia has instead proposed extending Turk’s mandate by just over two months, until the end of 2026, according to a copy of the proposal seen by Reuters. Diplomats also said Israel opposes a full four-year renewal, while the United States has raised questions about the timing of the appointment, turning an expected consensus into a contested vote.

In a statement to Reuters, Russia’s U.N. mission in New York said reappointing Turk for another four years would deny the next secretary-general the opportunity to choose the holder of what it described as an important post. The mission said such a decision would be inappropriate given the significance of the U.N.’s human rights framework and added that many member states shared its view.

The General Assembly, rather than the U.N. Security Council, decides the appointment, meaning the veto powers held by the five permanent Security Council members do not apply.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry described Guterres’ decision to nominate Turk for another term as a “moral failure” in a post on X and argued that the selection should be left to the next secretary-general. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Asked about the nomination earlier this week, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Turk was ready to continue serving.

Created in 1993, the post of U.N. human rights chief is responsible for monitoring and speaking out on human rights violations worldwide. During his tenure, Turk has criticized governments across multiple regions, including Russia, Israel and the United States.

He has accused Russia of committing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, allegations Moscow rejects. Turk has also called for investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration custody and criticized hostilities involving the United States and Iran, while Washington has defended its standards of care for detainees.

On the conflict in Gaza, Turk has condemned what he described as the “mass killing” of Palestinians. Israel has rejected allegations that its actions amount to genocide.

Russia’s U.N. mission denied that its proposal was linked to Turk’s criticism of Moscow’s conduct in Ukraine, saying its position was based on preserving institutional integrity and respecting established procedures.

Diplomats said Guterres had spent months consulting member states in an effort to secure broad support for Turk’s reappointment. According to diplomats, Turk has strong backing from European and many Latin American countries, while an African Union diplomatic memo seen by Reuters stated that the bloc had “no objection” to a second four-year term.

No alternative candidates are known to be under consideration for the position.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Guterres had followed the applicable rules in making the nomination and valued Turk’s performance as High Commissioner for Human Rights.