Also known as: UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk · Volker also · United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk · UN rights chief Volker Turk · UN high commissioner for human rights · U.N. rights chief
UN Human Rights High Commissioner who has warned of AI existential risks and called for protection of human rights and migrants' dignity.
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Citizen Digital
… "The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement. …
UN rights chief urges US to lift tough Cuba sanctionsThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk (centre) during a press conference at the Seoul Global Centre in South Korea, on May 13, 2026. …
UN urges independent probes into deadly Nigeria, Chad airstrikesHeavy fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front broke out on multiple fronts, with the TPLF seizing local airports and launching attacks into Afar and Amhara. Telecoms disruption in Tigray has raised fears of a repeat of the 2020-2022 civil war blockade, when more than 600,000 people died.
26 September 2026 · The Standard →
Heavy fighting between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front broke out on multiple fronts, with the TPLF seizing local airports and launching attacks into Afar and Amhara. Telecoms disruption in Tigray has raised fears of a repeat of the 2020-2022 civil war blockade, when more than 600,000 people died.
26 September 2026 · The Standard →
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk argues that despite headlines dominated by war, climate chaos, and division, a global majority supports human rights protection, respect for international law, planetary preservation, and gender equality, and that unified action on these shared values can achieve far more than division allows.
24 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday rejected fears that artificial intelligence could threaten humanity, calling them a hoax and dismissing global calls for safeguards on the technology. He compared AI warnings to climate change concerns and past Russia investigations, and argued that a "strong and smart president" was the only guardrail needed.
15 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The UN rights chief called for urgent action from countries and AI companies to address what he described as "unprecedented risks" posed by rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, warning the world faces "irreversible change" affecting future generations. The warning follows concerns about "superintelligent" systems, including resignations and statements from Anthropic staff expressing fears that AI could escape human control.
14 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
King Charles III will host representatives from leading AI companies including Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Anthropic at Dumfries House in Scotland, with the gathering intended to explore how artificial intelligence can benefit society amid growing concerns over AI risks.
14 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
France's UN mission apologized Friday for an online post criticizing how the United States voted during a UN General Assembly meeting, saying the difference concerned one vote and does not undermine the two countries' historical alliance. US officials told AFP they appreciated the statement.
13 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Khartoum faces a severe water shortage amid chemical contamination, forcing thousands to drink from the Nile and shallow wells. This has triggered outbreaks of diseases including dengue fever, malaria, viral hepatitis, measles, diphtheria, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A, and giardiasis, according to Sudanese reports.
8 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Volker Turk, the U.N. rights chief, warned that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity and called for "cast-iron guarantees" to secure AI, citing risks including disruptions to services, communications, and democratic systems. He pledged to press AI firms to reduce these risks during his address to the UN human rights council.
7 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A top US envoy said on Monday that weekend discussions with Ukraine and Russia showed progress, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks to end the conflict that began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than four years ago.
7 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Madagascar court sentenced gendarmerie general Richard Ravalomanana, a key ally of ousted president Andry Rajoelina, to 10 years of hard labour for a crackdown on protests in September and October 2025. At least 22 people were killed in the first days of the protests, some by security forces and others in violence sparked by criminal gangs and looters.
3 September 2026 · The Standard →
The United Nations urged child-safe design across the social media industry after Meta agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to a coalition of US states and impose limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram, settling claims that Meta deliberately engineered its platforms to hook young users and unlawfully collected data from children under 13.
28 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The UN's human rights office expressed alarm at Russia's Supreme Court decision to bar Yabloko, one of Russia's oldest political parties, from September's parliamentary elections, and the sentencing of its deputy chair Lev Shlosberg to over 11 years in prison for anti-war speech.
20 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The UN rights chief condemned changes to Turkey's Child Protection Law that allow juvenile offenders to receive lengthy prison terms in closed institutions instead of education-based ones, raising human rights concerns.
14 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The UN human rights office called on states, businesses and parties linked to Sudan's gum arabic industry to uphold international law, warning that profits from the sector help sustain the country's civil war. Sudan produces around 80% of the world's gum arabic, and significant amounts have been smuggled from areas controlled by warring parties and re-exported through neighbouring countries, making them difficult to track.
14 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is the "fastest growing" ever, with 1,759 confirmed cases and 600 deaths since mid-May, according to African health authorities and the WHO. The Africa CDC head said the current outbreak is spreading faster than previous ones, including the 2013-16 West Africa epidemic, with case numbers doubling every 28 days.
10 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The United Nations urged an immediate halt to fighting between Democratic Republic of Congo armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 militia in eastern DRC, which has displaced civilians and destroyed livelihoods despite a fragile peace deal reached in December.
9 July 2026 · The Standard →
Sudan's Peace Government has accused the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied militias of preventing residents from leaving El Obeid, using civilians as human shields, and forcing civilians to participate in military operations. The government called for international pressure to allow civilians to leave freely and for the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors.
29 June 2026 · The Standard →
Gang violence has killed at least 2,300 people in Haiti this year, with 1,100 injured and 99 kidnapped, the UN said Monday. The UN human rights chief urged authorities to tackle impunity and accelerate deployment of the new Gang Suppression Force to address the crisis.
15 June 2026 · The Standard →
UN rights chief Volker Turk called on the United States to reconsider its immigration practices ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, after US authorities barred Somali referee Omar Artan and others from entering the country, raising concerns about racial profiling affecting the tournament.
10 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
UN rights chief Volker Turk called on the United States to reconsider its immigration practices ahead of the World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, citing cases where fans, a top referee, and team officials were barred from entry. Turk warned that US President Trump's immigration policy could harm the tournament and called for an end to racial profiling and the dehumanization of migrants.
10 June 2026 · The Standard →
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that US fuel restrictions and sanctions imposed since early 2026 are causing widespread suffering and endangering lives in Cuba, particularly children lacking access to medical supplies, and called for their immediate removal.
8 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The UN rights chief called for independent probes into Nigerian and Chadian military airstrikes that reportedly killed dozens of civilians. Nigerian airstrikes on a market in Zamfara state killed at least 100 civilians according to Amnesty International, though the Nigerian military disputed civilian casualty figures as unverified.
13 May 2026 · The Standard →