Washington became the first country to decline a U.N. Human Rights Council review
The United States skipped its scheduled review of its human rights record before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, becoming the first country to fully shun the process, the Washington Examiner reported. The review, postponed from November 2025, could not proceed without a U.S. delegation, under the council’s rules.
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The Trump administration withdrew the United States from the council last year, accusing it of anti-U.S. and anti-Israel bias. A State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press, “(W)e give no credibility to the agency,” and alleged the council failed to uphold its values and condemn serious human rights violators.
Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute who was the council’s first secretary, said the boycott could affect the credibility of its review system.
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Reporting behind this story
- Associated Press — US set to shun a UN Human Rights Council review
- CBS News — U.S. set to become first nation to refuse a U.N. Human Rights Council review
- The Independent — US 'boycotting review into its human rights record'
- The Independent — Donald Trump delivers ultimate snub to UN by making US first country to totally boycott human rights review
- Toronto Star (with Associated Press) — The U.S. to become first nation to fully shun a UN Human Rights Council review
- UA News — US to refuse UN human rights review — CBS News
- Moneycontrol — US skips UN human rights review under Trump, first country to shun process entirely
- Washington Examiner — UN postpones US human rights review after boycott