UN rights chief seeks to establish presence in China and India

The UNhumanrightschiefcalled on Monday for greater support for his office as heseeksto expandits work byestablishing a first-timepresencein the world's two most populous countriesIndiaandChina, whoserightsrecords are drawing more scrutiny.

The UNhumanrightsoffice,established after World War Two, is present in 95 countriesandits leader plays a key role in calling out suspected abusers as well as working with countries in question to bring about change.

Volker Turk, who took over as high commissioner in late 2022, used his opening speech to the UNHumanRightsCouncil on Monday to urge greater cooperationandsingled out states such as Syria, Iran, IsraelandRussia that should do more.

"We would now like to scale up engagement," he told the Geneva council at the opening of its four-week session, saying the world was at a "critical juncture" 75 years after adopting theUniversal Declaration of HumanRights.

"I also believe that it is important for us toestablishapresencefor the first time inChinaandIndia."

There was no immediate response to a request for comment fromChinaorIndia's diplomatic mission in Geneva.

Setting up inChinamight prove difficult for Turk's office.

Negotiations went on for years to clear the way for a 2022 trip there by his predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, spurred in part by concerns about Beijing's treatment of Uyghur Muslims.Chinadenies any abuses.

The USsaid it is monitoring a rise inrightsabuses inIndiaby officials. New Delhi has said it values humanrights.

A UN rightsspokesperson added that Turk had discussed the idea of the two new offices during meetings with governments but did not elaborate on their reaction.

More broadly, Turk had voiced concern about a "strangulation of civil society in several countries", without naming them.

Turk said he would like to double his office's budget to step up global monitoring although this may prove challenging given that many countries oppose further scrutiny on sovereignty grounds.

While humanrightscomprise one of the fourUnited Nations "pillars", alongside peaceandsecurity, the rule of lawanddevelopment, it gets just 4% of the general budget.

Turk also called on theUnited States to act urgently on racial discriminationandto ratify six humanrightstreaties, including one on childrights.

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