UN appoints new human rights chief following Xinjiang report

The UN General Assembly approved the appointment of Volker Türk as the new High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday, replacing Michele Bachelet whose term ended last week.

The Austrian diplomat had been nominated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Türk has worked as Guterres's top policy chief.

The appointment comes shortly after the release of a UN report damning China's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority in the province of Xinjiang.

Bachelet, who published the report in her final days, had previously been accused of not being critical enough of Beijing.

Türk is beginning the top human rights job "at a time of considerable threats to human rights around the world," Amnesty International's secretary-general, Agnes Callamard said.

Who is Volker Türk?

The Austrian is a veteran within the United Nations, having served multiple different roles.

He has had a long career within the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), working in Malaysia, Kosovo, Congo and Kuwait, as well as from the headquarters in Geneva.

He later worked as assistant secretary-general for strategic coordination for Guterres before being appointed as undersecretary-general for policy earlier this year.

Guterres's pick for the role has been criticized for lacking transparency. Türk is also a relatively unknown figure, unlike his predecessor who had served as president of Chile prior to working for the UN.

High expectations over Xinjiang report followup

Türk's appointment got consensus backing. Both the US and Chinese ambassadors to the UN stressed the importance of impartiality in the role.

"It is China's hope that Mr Türk will lead the office in strictly abiding by the principles of objectivity, impartiality... and non-politicization," China's Deputy UN Ambassador Dai Bing told the General Assembly.

Beijing rejected the report on Xinjiang and has repeatedly denied any accusations of abuses there.

The interim executive director of Human Rights Watch, Tirana Hassan, said Türk has "his work cut out" in dealing with the myriad human rights issues across the world.

"Whether it's confronting crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, war crimes in Ukraine and Ethiopia, or racism in the United States, the rights chief's most effective tools are robust investigations and a strong voice," she said, before stressing the importance of following up on the UN's recent report.

ab/rc (AP, Reuters)