He then held posts with the UNHCR in different regions of the world, including Malaysia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[5] In February 2015, he was appointed Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, making him the highest-ranking Austrian UN official; he played a role in the development of the Global Compact on Refugees.

[9] Türk coordinated UN global policy work and follow-up to the Secretary-General’s “Call to Action for Human Rights” and report, "Our Common Agenda".

[12] His stated priorities include building a stronger UN human rights presence on the ground, and raising more money for a UN office that he said was underfunded.

[22] In July 2023, after a man at an authorized protest in Stockholm, Sweden, tore pages from a Quran and set them on fire, Türk condemned the burning.

[23] In February 2024, Türk criticized what he called India's "increasing restrictions on civic space ... as well as ... hate speech and discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims.

"[24] India’s Ambassador to the UN at Geneva Arindam Bagchi said that Türk's accusations were "unwarranted and do not reflect the reality of the largest democracy in the world.