USAupdated 28m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 March 2015UN Human Rights Council Postpones U.S. Rights Review After Washington Non-Cooperation
“expressed ‘regret’ Tuesday over the US' ‘continued non-cooperation’”
“Critics of the U.S. move warn that the walkout could encourage other countries”
Photo: U.S. Department of State from United States / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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United States skipped its UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review, drawing criticism. The review was postponed to January 2027 due to US non-cooperation.
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UN review postponed again
The UN Human Rights Council postponed a regular review of the United States human rights record until January after Washington failed to participate again in the Universal Periodic Review process.
The council adopted a decision without a vote to delay the US review amid “continued non-cooperation” with its process, and it rescheduled the US review for Jan. 18-29, 2027.
The council regretted the US “continued non-cooperation” and urged Washington to “resume its cooperation with the universal periodic review mechanism” after it failed to attend two scheduled assessments.
The council’s organizational meeting in Geneva also requested its president to “continue to take all appropriate steps and measures” to encourage US cooperation and report on those efforts during regular council sessions.
US says it will not
A State Department spokesperson told reporters that the US would not attend, saying, “This irredeemable body makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own 'values' as it pushes anti-American rhetoric.” The Human Rights Council said the process requires participation by the country in question, and it stated that in the case of an absence of any national representatives, the review cannot go forward.
The US State Department spokesperson also argued that participation would imply endorsement of the council’s work, while a CBS News report said the Trump administration last year pulled the U.S. out of the Human Rights Council accusing it of anti-U.S. and anti-Israel bias. Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union told reporters in Geneva that the administration was 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.”
Pressure and next steps
Human Rights Watch said the US failure to undergo its UN rights review “should not be tolerated” and argued that UN member states should ensure consequences for the United States’ persistent non-cooperation. Human Rights Watch urged the Human Rights Council to request that the UN high commissioner for human rights brief it on the human rights situation in the US at the 64th session in March 2027 with the participation of civil society groups and victims.
The International Service for Human Rights said the US refusal to submit to the Universal Periodic Review for the second year in a row required an immediate response from the UN Human Rights Council. Phil Lynch of ISHR said, “Non-cooperation must carry consequences,” and he called on states to support a dedicated debate on US non-cooperation and for the UN Human Rights Office to prepare a report on the human rights situation in the country.