The United States refused to sit for its U.N. human rights review, saying the council behind it is biased against America and Israel.
Story Snapshot
- The U.S. skipped its scheduled review at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, leaving its seat empty.
- According to reports, that makes the U.S. the first country to fully shun a regular review since the council was created two decades ago.
- The State Department called the council an “irredeemable body” and said it gives the council “no credibility.”
- The council’s 47 members postponed the U.S. review again, this time until January, in hopes Washington will take part.
What Happened: A First-Ever Refusal
On Tuesday, November 10, the United States did not show up for its Universal Periodic Review at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. The review is a regular check of a country’s human rights record by other nations. The Trump administration says it stayed away because the council is biased against the United States and Israel and does not live up to its own values. According to reports, no country had fully refused one of these reviews since the council began about 20 years ago.
This was the second time the U.S. passed on the review. It skipped its first scheduled date on November 7, 2025. The council moved the review to November 10, 2026, to give Washington time to change its mind. It did not. The administration pulled the U.S. out of the council in 2025.
Why the Administration Says No
A State Department spokesperson said in an email that “we give no credibility to the agency.” The spokesperson called the council an “irredeemable body” that “makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own ‘values.'” The spokesperson also pointed to the council’s “persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators.” According to reports, the spokesperson said taking part would suggest the U.S. approves of the council’s work.
U.S. diplomats have long objected to a permanent council agenda item, known as Item 7, that is set aside for Israel and the Palestinian territories. In the council’s own records, a U.S. representative said the United States “strongly and unequivocally” opposed that “biased” item. The same record notes that no other country gets that kind of standing item. Administration supporters say a review cannot be fair when the body running it singles out one U.S. ally year after year.
What the Review Is
The Universal Periodic Review covers all 193 U.N. member nations, usually once every four to five years. A country sends a team of officials, sometimes a dozen or more. The team presents a report, answers questions and hears suggestions from other nations. Those suggestions are not binding, which means the country does not have to follow them. The council says the review needs the country to take part, so it cannot go forward without a U.S. team in the room.
What Critics Say
Rights groups say the U.S. is avoiding scrutiny of its record under President Donald Trump. Critics point to deportations and to U.S. strikes on boats said to be carrying drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The administration says those actions protect American workers and keep the country safe. Jamil Dakwar, who directs the human rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union, a rights group, said the administration is telling the world it does not care whether it is reviewed. “This council should hold the United States accountable,” he said.
Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute who served as the council’s first secretary, warned that the U.S. walkout could hurt the credibility of the whole review system. Critics also warn that other countries, many of which dislike close scrutiny, may follow the U.S. lead.
What Comes Next
On Tuesday, November 10, the council’s 47 member nations agreed without a vote to postpone the U.S. review until January. They cited the U.S. “continued non-cooperation” and said the delay was meant to give Washington another chance to join in. Speaking for European Union members of the council, Dutch envoy Simone van der Post said, “All states are subject to the scrutiny of their human rights situation by the international community.” The State Department did not respond to a request for comment after the decision, according to reports.
Under the council’s rules, after it has tried every way to get a country to take part, it “will address, as appropriate, cases of persistent non-cooperation.” The ACLU and its allies have asked U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk to present an update on U.S. human rights early next year, with or without Washington at the table. According to reports, one diplomat said the aim is to “leave the door open” for the U.S. to come back.
Sources:
cbsnews.com, apnews.com, itv.com, reuters.com, un.org, hrw.org, hrw.org
