UN General Assembly extends Volker Turk’s term despite US warning

WASHINGTON: The United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved a four-year extension for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, backing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s nomination despite opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel.

The 193-member assembly voted 144 in favour, with 10 against and 13 abstentions. Before that, member states also rejected a Russian proposal to limit the extension to a little over two months, until the end of 2026. Guterres had proposed a second four-year term for Turk, whose current mandate expires in October.

Turk, an Austrian lawyer who has held senior UN roles in Geneva and in field postings including Kosovo, has been a prominent critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s actions in Gaza. He has also called for investigations into deaths in US immigration custody. His willingness to challenge major powers drew sharp resistance from all three countries.

The vote underscored growing friction between the Trump administration and the United Nations. Washington has reduced funding for UN agencies and withdrawn from multiple UN bodies, while human rights groups say the office of the rights chief has become increasingly important as authoritarian governments gain more influence internationally.

US objects to process and warns of consequences

The US had sought a delay in the vote until next week to allow further consultations and opposed immediate approval of Guterres’s proposal. Addressing the assembly before the vote, US Representative for UN Management and Reform Jeff Bartos criticised the move in strong terms.