Web desk(National Times)- The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to renew Volker Turk\u2019s mandate as high commissioner for human rights for four years despite strong opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By a vote of 144 in favour, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, the assembly approved the renewal, beginning October 12, 2026, as proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An alternative proposal from Russia to extend the mandate by only a few months, until December 31, 2026, was overwhelmingly rejected, as was the US request to postpone the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassador Jeff Bartos, US representative for UN management and reform, criticised the four-year renewal on both procedural and substantive grounds, accusing Guterres of having rushed the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMake no mistake: If this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals, and the misuse of UN posts, there will be consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation, and funding,\u201d he warned just before the vote, accusing Guterres of having rushed the timetable \u201cto hand his long-term friend a four-year executive payout\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont, however, described Turk as \u201ca voice of conscience\u201d who had demonstrated \u201crigour and impartiality\u201d during his first term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turk, an Austrian jurist, has served as high commissioner since October 2022. He has emphasised the universality of human rights and the need to apply international law equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his tenure, he has been outspoken on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nicaragua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he\u2019s also been criticised for not taking more decisive positions on Cuba, the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, and for not directly using the word \u201cgenocide\u201d in reference to Gaza, unlike several UN experts and rapporteurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turk\u2019s stances have earned him sharp criticism from several governments, notably Russia and Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both nations\u2019 ambassadors voiced opposition Friday to his renewal, saying Guterres, whose term as secretary-general expires at the end of the year, should have left the selection of the human rights commissioner to his successor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web desk(National Times)- The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to renew Volker Turk\u2019s mandate as high commissioner for human rights for four years despite strong opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel. By a vote of 144 in favour, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, the assembly approved the renewal, beginning October 12, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n