DossierPoliticsUnited StatesUpdated October 16, 2026

Volker Türk

Volker Türk is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a role he has held since October 2022. He spent 30 years at the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, serving as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection. He later served as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination and, from January 2022, as Under-Secretary-General for Policy.

Country: United States
Field: Politics
Leaning: Not assessed
Fact checks: 1

Fact checks

Unverified · October 7, 2026
“Fresh decrees issued by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan in 2026 make it more difficult for a woman to separate from a spouse and implicitly authorize child marriage and violence against women and children.”

Record

Controversy
Criticism of quiet diplomacy
Critics have argued that Türk prefers behind-the-scenes diplomacy and broad public statements to criticising specific governments. [1]

Affiliations

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The office is the UN body concerned with human rights. Türk has served as its High Commissioner since October 2022. [2]
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency. Türk spent 30 years there and served as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection before leaving in 2019. [3]
Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General
The Executive Office supports the UN Secretary-General. Türk served there as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination after leaving UNHCR in 2019. [4]

Sources

Profiles are compiled from public reporting and updated as new information appears.

Report an issue