UN General Assembly renews Volker Turk's term as rights chief

The UN General Assembly voted Friday to renew Volker Turk's mandate as UN high commissioner for human rights for another four years, overcoming opposition from the US and Russia.

The assembly approved Turk's reappointment to a second term running from Oct. 12, 2026, through Oct. 11, 2030, extending his leadership at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Turk received 144 votes, with 10 against and 13 abstentions.

Before the vote, the US deputy envoy to the UN, Jeff Bartos, urged member states to vote 'no' on the proposal to reappoint Turk.

"Make no mistake, if this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals, and the misuse of UN posts, there will be consequences. The United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation, and funding," said Bartos.

Russia's deputy envoy, Dmitry Chumakov, accused Turk and his office of political bias and serving Western geopolitical interests.

Chumakov questioned whether Turk met the standards required for the position under a General Assembly resolution governing the appointment of the human rights chief.

He cited a General Assembly resolution, which states that the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be a person of "high moral standing and personal integrity" with the expertise and understanding necessary to perform the role in an impartial, objective, non-selective and effective manner.

"Does Mr. Turk have these qualities? This is a rhetorical question," said Chumakov. “We note with regret the political bias of both the high commissioner himself and the office headed by him, who promote Western geopolitical interests under the pretext of concern for human rights.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric previously defended the renewal process for Turk’s position earlier this week.

"The secretary-general is following the resolution and following the rules,” he said. "And I can tell you everything is being done above board and in a very transparent manner and in accordance with established rules and regulations.”

In social media posts, the pro-Israeli UN Watch group criticized Turk for condemning Israel "58 times" during his tenure, while condemning the US “more times than he condemned China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Qatar combined.”

The group noted that Turk condemned US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in February, claiming he described Iran's response as "retaliatory," which it said lent legitimacy to Iran's attacks.

Turk said he is "deeply grateful" for the opportunity to continue serving as high commissioner.

"Human rights are the antidote to today's turbulence and defeatism. I will give my all for the rights of everyone, everywhere," Turk said on US social media company X.