Danilo Turk

Danilo Türk, born February 19, 1952, has built an extraordinary career spanning academia, diplomacy, and public service. After earning his law degree from the University of Ljubljana in 1975 and Ph.D. in 1982, he became director of Ljubljana's Institute for International Law in 1983. His early career focused on human rights, serving on the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1984-1992) and drafting the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development. As Slovenia's first Permanent Representative to the UN (1992-2000), he secured Slovenia's election to the Security Council and served as Council President twice. He then served as UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs under Kofi Annan (2000-2005) before returning to Slovenia and eventually becoming President (2007-2012). Currently, he serves as President of Club de Madrid, chairs the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace, and leads the Danilo Türk Foundation (formerly Let Them Dream) supporting child victims of armed conflict. His academic work continues as professor emeritus at the University of Ljubljana and visiting professor at Columbia University. In 2022, he was appointed to the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism, reflecting his ongoing commitment to international cooperation and human rights.