Dr Danilo Türk was born on 19 February 1952 in Maribor, Slovenia. He studied at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana, where he obtained his law degree (1975). In 1978 he obtained his masters degree in law from Belgrade University, became an academic assistant and started teaching International Law at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana.

In 1982, he obtained his doctorate from the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana with a thesis on "The principle of non-intervention in international relations and in international law".

From 1984 to 1992 he was member of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities as an independent expert. In 1992 Dr Türk assumed the position of Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations. During Slovenia's term as non-permanent member of the Security Council he was President of the Security Council in August 1998 and again in November 1999.

In 2000, Mr Kofi Annan appointed Dr Türk as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. For more than five years his tasks included analytical and consulting activity relating to the crisis situations of the time.

Dr Türk returned to Slovenia in the summer of 2005 and since May 2006 he has served as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law. In November 2007 he was elected President of the Republic of Slovenia and was inaugurated on 22 December 2007.