US becomes first country to refuse UN human rights review

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Nov, 11:49 · Archive

The United States is set to become the first country to fully shun a regular review of its human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council.

The United States is set on Tuesday to become the first country to fully refuse a scheduled examination of its human rights record by the UN Human Rights Council, which was created two decades ago. The Trump administration withdrew from the council last year, accusing it of anti-US and anti-Israel bias and alleging that it does not uphold the values it promotes. A State Department spokesperson stated that the council is 'irredeemable' and 'makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own values as it pushes anti-American rhetoric', and alleged the council's 'persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators'.

The Geneva-based council regularly examines the rights records of all 193 UN member states through a process known as the universal periodic review, generally every four to five years. As part of such reviews, national delegations present their position, face questions and hear recommendations from other national envoys. The United States already skipped its review appointment a year ago. The scheduled November 2025 review was postponed until Tuesday in hopes that the US government might reconsider, but it did not. The council says the process requires participation from the country in question, and that without national representatives present, the review cannot proceed.

How it is being reported

• Donald Trump delivers ultimate snub to UN by making US first country to totally boycott human rights reviewThe United States is to become the first country to skip a regular review of its human rights record at the U.N.'s Human Rights CouncilIndependent World · 10 Nov, 11:40
• U.S. becoming first nation to refuse U.N. Human Rights Council review"This irredeemable body makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own 'values' as it pushes anti-American rhetoric," a State Department spokesperson said.CBS News · 10 Nov, 10:22

In this story: United States · UN Human Rights Council · Trump administration · Geneva

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