Since 17 October 2022, Mr. Türk serves as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. His work focuses on universal human rights, especially for refugees and stateless persons.

Previously, he was the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. In this role, he coordinated global policy work and UN system-wide coordination on human rights and common challenges. He also worked as the Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the same office from 2019 to 2021.

From 2015 to 2019, he was the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection in UNHCR. He contributed to the development of the Global Compact on Refugees.

He has held other positions in UNHCR headquarters and in the field. 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 has published on international refugee law and human rights law. He is fluent in English and French and has some knowledge of Spanish.