Volker Türk

Volker Türk (born 1965) is an Austrian lawyer and United Nations official. He has been the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights since 17 October 2022.

Education
Born in Linz, Türk received a Master of Laws from the University of Linz and a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna, Austria. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Vienna was on the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its mandate and was published by Duncker & Humblot, Berlin in 1992.

Career
In 1991, Türk became a Junior Professional Officer at the UN and had a temporary assignment in Kuwait funded by the Austrian Foreign Ministry. He then held various posts with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in different regions of the world, including Malaysia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He later became the Director of the Division of International Protection at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. In February 2015, he was appointed Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, making him the highest-ranking Austrian UN official.

On 18 April 2019, Türk was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres to succeed Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the UN Secretariat.

From 2021 to 2022, Türk served as Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

As the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General, Türk coordinated global policy work by the United Nations. He also ensured UN system-wide coordination in the follow-up to the Secretary-General’s “Call to Action for Human Rights” and his report, Our Common Agenda, which sets out a vision to tackle the world’s interconnected challenges on foundations of trust, solidarity and human rights and initiated the Summit of the Future, taking place in September 2024.

As Assistant High Commissioner for Protection in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva (2015-2019), Türk played a key role in the development of the landmark Global Compact on Refugees.

He is widely published on international refugee law, statelessness and human rights issues including in the International Journal of Refugee Law.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022–present
On 8 September 2022, following the favourable vote of the General Assembly, Türk was selected to succeed Michelle Bachelet of Chile as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; at the time, the other candidates included Federico Villegas and Adama Dieng. He assumed office on 17 October 2022.

Türk’s stated priorities as High Commissioner include building a much stronger U.N. human rights presence on the ground and raising much more money for an office that is underfunded to meet the demands it faces.

In 2023, he led the Human Rights 75 initiative, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which garnered almost 800 pledges from States and other actors, ranging from advancing women's rights and children's rights to commitments on climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as initiatives aimed at empowering people with disabilities and promoting legislative reforms. His vision statement, “Human Rights: A Path for Solutions” sets out eight messages to ensure human rights are at the centre of renewed action for peace; economies that work for people and planet; effective governance; and guardrails for digital and scientific progress.

Türk’s expertise has been critical in promoting human rights as a solution to new and emerging challenges, such as the implications of digital technology on privacy and freedom of expression. In November 2023, he wrote an open letter to Elon Musk urging him to ensure human rights are central to the management of Twitter under Musk’s leadership. He has called for human rights to be at the core of generative AI.

Türk has also advocated for the integration of human rights considerations into the global response to environmental challenges.

On 17 April 2023, Türk called on Russian authorities to free the longtime Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza who has been sentenced to a 25-year prison sentence on charges including treason. The sentence is "another blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian Federation", said Türk.

On 9 May 2023, Türk said Iran in that year had an "abominable" track record of executions with an average of more than 10 people hanged each week and called on Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty.

In March 2024, Türk said he recognised "China's advances in alleviating poverty and advancing development" and urged the release of human rights defenders, lawyers and others detained under the “picking quarrels and making trouble” legislation. He also called on China to implement the recommendations in the 2022 UN Human Rights Office report on Xinjiang.

During the Israel-Hamas war, Türk said Israel may be using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, which would amount to a war crime.

Personal life
Türk lives in Geneva.

Awards
In May 2016, Türk was awarded the Human Rights Award of the University of Graz.

Publications

 * Erika Feller, Volker Türk, Frances Nicholson (eds.): Refugee Protection in International Law. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003, ISBN 0-521-53281-7.