Volker Turk wins second UN human rights chief term after 144-10 vote

UN member states have voted to reappoint Volker Turk for a second four-year term as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The vote on Friday was 144 in favour, 10 against, with 13 abstentions, despite opposition from the United States, Israel, Russia, North Korea and six other countries. Turk's current term was due to expire on October 11, but he will now remain in post for another four years.

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The Austrian lawyer said he was deeply grateful to be re-elected. In a social media post, he said human rights are the antidote to today's turbulence and defeatism, and pledged to give his all for the rights of everyone, everywhere. The European Union's delegation at the United Nations welcomed the decision and said it looked forward to working with his office to promote and protect human rights worldwide.

Turk has been a prominent critic of Israel's conduct in Gaza and the wider region, which has made him a target of repeated criticism from Israeli officials. Israel's foreign ministry accused him of erasing the atrocities of October 7, misusing funds and betraying UN neutrality in favour of political radicalism. The United States also attacked the credibility of the UN human rights system, with its representative saying Turk had led it to its deathbed.

Those reactions underline the political sensitivity surrounding the office he leads. The reappointment is significant because Turk would become the first UN rights chief to complete two full terms if he serves out the mandate. The post of High Commissioner for Human Rights was created in 1993, and the role has often placed its holder at the centre of disputes over wars, state conduct and accountability.

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Turk has spent much of his career in the UN system, including work with the refugee agency, and has repeatedly urged Israel to comply with international humanitarian law. His second term also comes at a time of continuing international division over the war in Gaza and broader questions of accountability in the occupied Palestinian territory. Rights groups and UN experts have accused Israel of serious abuses, while Israel has rejected such allegations and criticised the UN rights office.

The vote suggests that, despite strong opposition from some states, a large majority of member states still backed Turk's continuation in the role. What remains unclear is how the office will navigate the same disputes that have defined Turk's first term, including criticism from Israel and its allies and pressure from states that want a less confrontational approach. The next key point to watch is how Turk uses the new mandate in relation to Gaza, Lebanon and other rights crises already on his agenda.

His reappointment also raises the prospect of a historic second full term, something no previous holder of the post has completed.

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