Türk Archives - Career Meaning

‘Behind each crisis, people are suffering,’ Türk tells Human Rights Council

·June 16, 2025·2 min read

“We are on an indefensible path of escalating conflict and open disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law,” said Volker Türk, addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Offering a global overview, he painted a stark picture of a world in crisis – with surging armed conflict, deepening...

World News in Brief: South Sudan urged to avoid slide to war, Türk calls on EU not to weaken landmark law, Ukraine and Mali updates

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·May 8, 2025·4 min read

The Quartet is calling on the country’s leaders to end hostilities and return to dialogue to fully implement the 2018 peace agreement known as the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence in 2011...

Conflict, hunger, poverty impede children’s early development: Türk

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·March 13, 2025·4 min read

During a discussion on early childhood development, the High Commissioner for Human Rights underscored that 80 per cent of the human brain is formed in the first three years of life, as he appealed for a reset in youth-centred policy. “Investments in early childhood are one of the smartest ways...

Human Rights Council: Türk calls out ‘dehumanizing’ narratives on Gaza

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·February 28, 2025·5 min read

Mr. Türk – making his closing remarks during the session reporting on the Occupied Palestinian Territory at the Human Rights Council – said he was deeply troubled by the “dangerous manipulation of language” and disinformation that surrounds discussions over the Palestine-Israel conflict. “We need to make sure that we resist...

‘Human rights defenders are key to conflict resolution,’ says Türk

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·January 14, 2025·1 min read

For many workers, defending human rights is not just a job, but a calling. As he noted, many “work out of a deep sense of service to others, and a desire to make a meaningful impact.” From conflict zones to post-war societies, they provide crucial support to detainees and victims...

‘Absolutely the wrong path,’ Türk warns against Afghanistan’s ban on women in NGOs

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·January 1, 2025·1 min read

The measure, issued by the de facto Ministry of Economy on 26 December, enforces a two-year-old decree prohibiting women from working with both national and international NGOs. In his statement, Mr. Türk emphasised the devastating impact on the delivery of critical humanitarian aid in Afghanistan the decree will have, where...

Human toll of senseless conflict ‘is incalculable’, says Türk

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·December 9, 2024·2 min read

As the world prepares to mark Human Rights Day 2024, Mr. Türk reflected on “a time when human rights are not only violated, but also increasingly instrumentalised.” He highlighted three critical issues to the international community: the proliferation of armed conflict, the rise of disinformation, and the neglect of long-term...

Ukraine: Türk calls on Russia to silence the guns in appeal for ‘a just peace’

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·December 25, 2023·3 min read

Since the onset of the invasion the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has meticulously monitored the situation. As of December 4, there have been over 10,000 civilian deaths, including 560 children, with an additional 18,500 civilians confirmed injured, with actual figures believed to be much higher due to the difficulties...

‘Rebuild a foundation of hope’ for global human rights: Türk

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·December 13, 2023·4 min read

“This is a pivotal day. We are here to rebuild a foundation of hope – hope that we need now, perhaps more than ever, at this sombre moment in history,” Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, addressing participants which included leaders from Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece Senegal, Colombia...

UN’s Türk urges probe into alleged sexual violence during Hamas terror attacks

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·December 7, 2023·4 min read

The High Commissioner also rejected allegations of double standards regarding the UN’s position on the crisis in Gaza, noting that he had been made aware of allegations of sexual violence during the Hamas attack on communities in southern Israel. It was “painfully clear” that the “atrocious” attacks should be fully...

Gaza: UN’s Türk calls for political path out of ‘horror’

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·November 16, 2023·2 min read

Speaking in Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the parties to the conflict to “create the political space for a path out of this horror”. Mr. Türk condemned the widespread targeting of civilians in the past five weeks of hostilities and urged accountability for gross rights violations. He...

At Rafah crossing, Türk says both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes

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·November 8, 2023·2 min read

Volker Türk highlighted the dichotomy at the border crossing, describing it as a “lifeline” for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza over the past month, although “unjustly, outrageously thin.” But it is also “the gates to a living nightmare”, he continued, as people in Gaza “have been suffocating, under persistent...