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US Set to Shun UN Human Rights Council Review
Confirmed
In Short: The United States is set to become the first country to fully shun a regular review of its human rights record at the UN's top rights body, the Human Rights Council, since its creation two decades ago.
United Nations Geneva Council Chamber.
The United States is set to become the first country to fully shun a regular review of its human rights record at the UN's top rights body, the Human Rights Council, since its creation two decades ago. Scheduled for Tuesday, the review was pushed back from November 2025 in hopes that the U.S. Would participate.
Supporters of the council argue that it is crucial for keeping tabs on human rights in all U.N. Member states, including the U.S. The U.S. Has faced criticism for policies such as strong-arm deportations and targeted killings of alleged drug-runners in the Caribbean and Pacific, which the administration claims are aimed at protecting U.S. Workers and maintaining national security.
The council regularly examines the rights records of all 193 U.N. Member states, with national delegations making presentations, facing questions, and hearing recommendations from other envoys. The U.S., under the Trump administration, skipped its review a year ago, pulling out of the council, citing an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel bias.
Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the council's first secretary, warned that the U.S. Walkout could affect the credibility of the council's review system. He said, “If the predominant global power doesn’t show up and doesn’t even justify why, then you are in big trouble.”
Critics of the U.S. Snub warn that the walkout could encourage other countries to follow suit, many of which bristle at intense scrutiny from human rights monitors. The ACLU and allies have called on the U.N. Human rights chief to respond by presenting an update on rights in the United States early next year.
The council's mandate is to hold up a mirror to governments to improve their human rights policies, but the U.S. Decision to skip the review could undermine this process and set a dangerous precedent for other nations to avoid accountability.
What's confirmed
- Supporters back the council's mandate to keep tabs on human rights in all U.N. member states including the U.S., which has drawn criticism for its policies including strong-arm deportations and targeted killings of alleged drug-runners in the Caribbean and Pacific — which the administration has said are designed to protect U.S. workers and help keep the country safe.
- “If the predominant global power — which has always claimed to adhere to the human rights norms — doesn’t show up and doesn’t even justify why, then you are in big trouble," he said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events The United States is set Tuesday to become the first country to fully shun a regular review of its human rights record at the U.N.'s top rights body since it was created two decades ago.
- The Geneva-based council regularly examines the rights records of all 193 U.N.
- "And we are saying: ‘No, enough is enough. This council should hold the United States accountable’,” he told reporters Monday in Geneva, as part of a push by civil society to raise awareness about the U.S. rights record.
- As part of such reviews, national delegations — which at times can include a dozen officials or more — make a presentation, face questions and hear recommendations from other national envoys.
- The United States, under Trump, already skipped its appointment for its review a year ago.
- Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's human rights program, said: “The administration is saying to the world, ‘we don’t care about whether you would review us or not, we’re going to continue to violate human rights unabashed’."
- Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute who was the council's first secretary, said the U.S. walkout could affect the credibility of the council's review system.
- The scheduled November 2025 review was pushed back until Tuesday in hopes that the U.S.
- He said the ACLU and allies have called on the U.N. human rights chief to respond by presenting an update on rights in the United States early next year.
- The Trump administration last year pulled the US out of the Human Rights Council, accusing it of an anti-US and anti-Israel bias, and alleging that it didn’t uphold the very values it promotes.
What's still developing
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