United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 25 January 2022 the appointment of Volker Türk of Austria as Under-Secretary-General for Policy in his Executive Office. In addition to coordinating global policy work, the Secretary-General has asked him to focus in particular on follow-up to the ‘Our Common Agenda’ report and to continue the strategic coordination work within the Executive Office. He will ensure coherence in the analysis provided to the Secretary-General and conduct system-wide coordination, including on the Secretary-General’s ‘Call to Action for Human Rights’. He will continue to chair the Deputies Committee and oversee secretariat support to the Executive Committee and the Senior Management Group, as well as coordinate closely on matters related to the Chief Executives Board.
Mr. Türk also occupied various positions with UNHCR around the world, including as Representative in Malaysia, Assistant Chief of Mission in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively; Regional Protection Coordinator in 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. He is fluent in English and French and has working knowledge of Spanish.