Tag: volker turk

Volker Turk’s term as UN human rights chief extended despite U.S. warnings

July 25, 2026 admin

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. File | Photo Credit: AP The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday (July 24, 2026) to renew Volker Turk’s 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,…

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UN human rights agency in ‘survival mode’: chief

February 5, 2026 admin

The UN human rights chief said Thursday his agency was “in survival mode” due to funding shortfalls, as he launched a $400 million appeal to tackle global rights crises in 2026. Volker Turk warned countries that at a time when global human rights are under significant assault, his office was facing dire funding shortages hampering…

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Haiti gang violence: A total of 184 killed in Haiti capital violence over weekend: UN human rights chief Volker Turk

December 9, 2024 admin

A Kenyan police officer, part of a UN-backed multinational force, kneels for cover from an exchange of gunfire between gangs and police at a base in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on December 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Volker Turk, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Monday (December 9, 2024) that 184…

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UN rights chief urges states to challenge Israel over occupation

September 9, 2024 admin

Volker Turk cited an opinion released by the U.N. top court in July that called Israel’s occupation illegal. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The U.N. human rights chief said on Monday (September 9, 2024) that ending the nearly year-long war in Gaza is a priority and he asked countries to act on what he called…

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Top UN officials call on U.K. to reconsider plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda

April 23, 2024 admin

People, believed to be migrants, stand on a British Border Force vessel as they arrive at Port of Dover, Dover, Britain, January 17, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters Two United Nations top officials called on the U.K. to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda on April 23, warning the move would harm…

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‘Potential for thousands more to die’ in Gaza if Israel presses major ground op: U.N.

October 28, 2023 admin

Buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City on October 28, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on October 28 there was the potential for thousands more civilians to die if Israel presses a major ground offensive in Gaza. Israel’s army relentlessly hammered the territory on…

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Climate change ‘dystopian future already here’, says UN rights chief

September 11, 2023 admin

Furniture piled up on a sofa in a flooded house in Larissa, central Greece on September 11, 2023. | Photo Credit: AFP Climate change is sparking human rights emergencies in numerous countries, the UN rights chief said on Monday, stressing the need to fight the impunity of those who “plunder our environment”. Speaking before the…

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