Danilo Türk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Danilo Türk
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Türk in 2011
|
|
| 3rd President of Slovenia | |
| In office 23 December 2007 – 22 December 2012 |
|
| Prime Minister | Janez Janša Borut Pahor Janez Janša |
| Preceded by | Janez Drnovšek |
| Succeeded by | Borut Pahor |
| Ambassador of Slovenia to the United Nations | |
| In office September 1992 – February 2000 |
|
| President | Milan Kučan |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Petrič |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 February 1952 Maribor, PR Slovenia, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Barbara Miklič |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Ljubljana University of Belgrade |
Danilo Türk (born 19 February 1952) is an important person from Slovenia. He is a diplomat, a professor, and an expert on human rights. He served as the President of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012.
Before becoming president, he was Slovenia's first ambassador to the United Nations (UN). He worked there from 1992 to 2000. Later, he became an Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the UN from 2000 to 2005.
Today, Türk is a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York City. He also teaches international law at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. He started the Danilo Türk Foundation, which helps children who have been affected by wars. He also leads groups that work on global water issues and economic development. In 2016, he tried to become the Secretary-General of the United Nations, but he was not chosen for the role.
Contents
Danilo Türk's Early Life and Education
Danilo Türk was born in 1952 in Maribor, a city in Slovenia. At that time, Slovenia was part of a country called Yugoslavia. He went to high school in Maribor.
In 1971, he started studying law at the University of Ljubljana. After finishing his first degree in 1975, he continued his studies. He earned a master's degree in law, focusing on the rights of minority groups. In 1982, he completed his PhD in international law.
Working for Human Rights
While studying, Türk also started working. He became a teaching assistant at the University of Ljubljana in 1978. In 1983, he became the director of the university's Institute for International Law.
He spent many years working on human rights and the rights of minority groups. In the mid-1980s, he even worked with Amnesty International. This group reports on human rights issues around the world.
From 1986 to 1992, he was part of a special UN group. This group worked to prevent discrimination and protect minorities. He also helped write the human rights section of Slovenia's constitution in 1990 and 1991.
His Diplomatic and Academic Career
From 1992 to 2000, Danilo Türk was Slovenia's first official representative to the United Nations. This means he was Slovenia's ambassador to the UN. During this time, he helped Slovenia get a seat on the United Nations Security Council from 1998 to 1999. He even served as the president of the Security Council twice.
From 2000 to 2005, he worked as an Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs under Kofi Annan, who was the UN Secretary-General.
In 2005, he returned to Slovenia. He became a professor of international law at the University of Ljubljana. He has written many articles and three books about law. One of his important books is called Foundations of International Law.
In 2019, Türk was chosen to be the president of the Club of Madrid. This is a group of former presidents and prime ministers from democratic countries.
Becoming President of Slovenia
In June 2007, Danilo Türk decided to run for president of Slovenia. He ran as an independent candidate. This means he was not officially part of a specific political party. However, several left-leaning parties supported him.
In the first round of elections on 21 October 2007, he came in second place. This meant he went to a second round of voting against another candidate, Lojze Peterle.
On 11 November 2007, Danilo Türk won the second round with a large number of votes (68.2%). He officially became the third president of Slovenia on 23 December 2007.
.jpg)
He ran for president again in 2012, but he lost to Borut Pahor in the second round of voting.
Trying to Become UN Secretary-General
In December 2013, Türk announced that he wanted to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. The government of Slovenia supported his nomination in January 2014.
Danilo Türk has a lot of experience with the United Nations. He was Slovenia's first ambassador to the UN for eight years. He also led the United Nations Security Council twice. Because of his good work, Secretary-General Kofi Annan chose him as an advisor.
Türk is known for his work on human rights. He has been involved in human rights issues for over 40 years.
.jpg)
During his campaign for UN Secretary-General, he was asked about the UN's role in a health issue in Haiti. He said he hoped the UN would find a fair way to help those affected. He believes in the importance of legal rules, but also in finding solutions and fair processes for people. Many human rights organizations supported his commitment to better accountability at the UN.
Later Career and Personal Life
In 2022, the current United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, chose Türk to be part of a special advisory group. This group works on making international cooperation more effective.
Danilo Türk is married to Barbara Miklič. They got married in 1976. They have one daughter and one granddaughter. He can speak several languages, including Slovene, English, French, Croatian, and Serbian.
Health
In March 2011, Türk had a successful surgery in Austria.
Honors and Awards
Danilo Türk has received many awards and honors from different countries and organizations around the world. These awards recognize his important work as a diplomat, professor, and president.
Albania: Received a special key to the city of Tirana.
Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2011).
Azerbaijan: Ilyas Afandiyev International Prize (2010).
Colombia: Received a special key to the city of Bogota (2008).
European Union: European Court of Auditors Medal (2012).
Finland: Commander, First Class, Order of the White Rose of Finland (2010).
Hungary: Gold medal of the Széchenyi Scientific Society (2008).- Hungary: Honorary Doctorates from the University of Szeged (2010) and Corvinus University of Budapest (2015).
Iceland: Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Falcon (2011).
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Cordon, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2011).
Kazakhstan: Honorary Professor of the Academy of Public Administration, Astana (2009).
Monaco : Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles (2011).
Norway: Grand Cross, Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav (2011).
Peru: Grand Cross with Diamonds, Order of the Sun of Peru (2008).
Russia: Honorary Doctorate, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (2012).
Ukraine: Honorary Doctorate, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (2011).
United Kingdom: Received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath from Queen Elizabeth II (2008).
United States of America: Arthur J. Goldberg Award, Touro Law College (2008).- Protector of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2008).
See also
In Spanish: Danilo Türk para niños
