UN General Assembly approves reappointment of Volker Türk as UN human rights chief

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday adopted a draft resolution to reappoint Volker Türk of Austria as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for a period of four years, beginning on Oct. 12, 2026, and expiring on Oct. 11, 2030.

The draft resolution was adopted by a vote of 144 in favor, 10 against and 13 abstentions.

At the onset of the meeting, the UNGA defeated a motion submitted by the United States to postpone the vote by one week.

A draft resolution, submitted by the Russian Federation, to reappoint Türk for a term from Oct. 12 to Dec. 31, 2026, also failed to be adopted.

In September 2022, the UNGA approved the proposal of the UN secretary-general that Türk be appointed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for a fixed term of four years from Oct. 12, 2022 to Oct. 11, 2026. ■