United Nations appoints new human rights commissioner

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The United Nations has appointed current undersecretary-general for policy Volker Türk as the next U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed the news in a statement on Thursday.

Türk, an Austrian, fills the role vacated by Chile's Michelle Bachelet, whose term ended Aug. 31. Bachelet was first appointed to the position in 2018.

The U.N. General Assembly later confirmed his appointment.

Türk currently works in Guterres' office coordinating global policy. He served as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the UN chief's Executive Office from 2019 until 2021.

"Mr. Türk has devoted his long and distinguished career to advancing universal human rights, notably the international protection of some of the world's most vulnerable people -- refugees and stateless persons," Guterres said in a statement.

Türk has served in various roles with the UNHCR around the world, with stops in Malaysia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Kuwait. 

He holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Linz, Austria. 

One of his first tasks will be dealing with a damning report released by his office as Bachelet was leaving. The report accuses China of committing abuses against its Muslim minority Uyghur citizens in Xinjiang province that "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity."

The long-awaited, and damning, 45-page report was published on Sept. 1, just minutes before Bachelet's term expired.

China has denied the allegations and argued the internment camps aim to stamp out extremism and terrorism while fostering development and job creation. It repeatedly accuses those who raise the allegations of attempting to interfere with its internal affairs.