Ambassador Jeff Bartos and the United States oppose the reappointment of Volker Turk as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
The United Nations General Assembly approved the reappointment of Volker Turk as High Commissioner for Human Rights for another four-year term. Despite overwhelming support from France and the European Union, the United States expressed strong opposition to the move. Ambassador Jeff Bartos, the U.S. representative for U.N. management and reform, criticized the decision, stating that the U.N. human rights system has lost credibility and that Turk has disproportionately condemned democracies while failing to respond adequately to abuses by authoritarian regimes. France’s U.N. mission criticized the United States for its opposition, accusing Washington of abandoning its role as a global human rights leader. In response, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea accused France of feigning moral outrage and coddling human rights abusers. The administration announced that the vote was rushed and criticized the U.N. system's inherent corruption. While Turk has been vocal on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, his record of criticizing powerful democracies like the United States and Israel has put him at odds with several major powers.