Austrian could become the new UN human rights commissioner – but diplomats grumble

Created: 09/09/2022, 10:28 am

By: Marcus Mäckler, Martin Prem

Austrian lawyer Volker Türk is being discussed as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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The successor to Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet could be Austrian Volker Türk.

But the nature of the nomination is criticized.

Munich – The Austrian Volker Türk is to become the new United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights.

As several media reported on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres wants to nominate the 57-year-old to succeed Michelle Bachelet.

The former Chilean president held the post for four years.

Recently controversial, she refrained from running again.

Austrian Volker Türk is to become the new UN human rights commissioner

Türk, previously deputy general secretary, is considered a confidant of Guterres.

Both know each other from their time together at the UN refugee agency.

The lawyer worked for UNHCR for more than 20 years, from 2015 to 2019 he was Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees.

His work revolved around the protection and support of refugees and displaced people;

the experience in the field is also said to have been decisive for Guterres' decision.

To date, no one has denied that he is qualified for the new office, but there are complaints about a lack of transparency in the nomination.

"It was a remarkably opaque process," said one Western diplomat.

Guterres normally consults on personnel issues with the five permanent members of the Security Council.

It is unclear whether this was also the case with Türk.

Candidacy for Human Rights Commission: Bachelet recently criticized

The office was recently discredited by Bachelet's inglorious role.

Bachelet had withheld a long-awaited report on human rights abuses in China - and only published it shortly before leaving office.

Türk studied law at the University of Linz and did his doctorate at the University of Vienna, where he was an assistant at the Institute for International Law before joining the UNHCR.

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