US to become first country to refuse UN human rights review — CBS News

On November 10 in Geneva, Switzerland, the United States is set to become the first country to completely refuse a regular review of its human rights situation by the UN Human Rights Council since the body was established around two decades ago. CBS News reports.

A review without US participation will not take place

The UN Human Rights Council regularly assesses the human rights situation in all 193 UN member states, usually once every four to five years. The procedure is called the Universal Periodic Review: a national delegation presents its position, answers questions from representatives of other countries, and receives recommendations.

The UN Council said that the participation of representatives of the country being assessed is required to conduct the review. Without a national delegation, the procedure cannot continue.

The United States already missed its scheduled review date last year. The procedure, planned for November 2025, was postponed until November 10 in the hope that US authorities would change their position, but this did not happen.

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State Department position and human rights advocates’ reaction

President Donald Trump’s administration withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council last year. It accused the body of bias against the United States and Israel and also said that the Council does not adhere to the values it promotes.

A US State Department spokesperson told the Associated Press that Washington does not consider the body credible. He also accused the Council of anti-American rhetoric and of failing to condemn the gravest human rights violations.

Human rights advocates criticized the US decision. Jamil Dakwar, director of the human rights program at the American Civil Liberties Union, said that he and his allies had urged the UN human rights chief to present updated information on the human rights situation in the United States at the beginning of next year. Eric Tistounet, who was the Council’s first secretary, noted that the US refusal could affect the authority of the review system.