UN Staff Critics of Rights Commish Volker Turk Say His Tenure Has Been Like That of Guterres

UN Staff Critics of Rights Commish Volker Turk Say His Tenure Has Been Like That of Guterres by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack UN GATE, Sept 14 – How corrupt and decrepit has the UN system become under Antonio Guterres, in this case due to Guterres? Today's example is again from the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, to which Guterres appointed his unqualified crony Volker Turk more than two years ago.  From OHCHR staff - "Dear Matthew Russell Lee, Many thanks for exposing corruption in the UN... "For four years Volker Turk has bragged about reforming OHCHR. The truth is that over 300 staff have been fired (mainly junior women including pregnant and some colleagues with medical conditions), while 300 education grants have been awarded!, some 60 staff have  been transferred from Geneva to regional offices (including to Vienna, Volker’s capital city, no conflict of interest there). But Geneva remains top heavy, more than 840 staff still there, most OHCHR work force. Worst, thanks to Volker Turk’s incompetence not a single senior post has been abolished. So the overall budget of OHCHR remains in deficit. And what is Volker’s reaction? Take money from any country  willing to patch the sinking boat in return for Volker Turk turning a blind eye to their human rights abuses. [Sounds like Guterres] Sadly, OHCHR’s public voice, once the moral bar of the UN, now it’s a sad list of predictable calculated platitudes about Volker Turk’s personal feelings. Worse, what applies to some countries do not apply to others, depending on Turk’s personal preferences or on the contributions to OHCHR. Same applies to senior staff, where Volker Turk’s cronies are favored regardless of their performance.  Having lost Palais Wilson to UNHCR, OHCHR is now cornered in Building H of PdN, in inadequate premises and hardly showing in the office twice a week.   Will Amb Waltz and Amb Steggerda hold SG candidates accountable and force them to seriously look into OHCHR mismanagement? For now, doesn't look like it. Inner City Press remains banned from the UN, despite July 25, 2026 application, and its questions are not being answered... Watch this site. *** Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron. Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com SDNY Press Room 500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA Mail: Box 130222, Chinatown Station, NY NY 10013 Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540 Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.  Copyright 2006-2025 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com