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US boycotts UN human rights review again, and council postpones it to January

A State Department spokesperson says the US gives the council "no credibility," while the ACLU urges the body to hold Washington accountable.

12 news outlets reported this
Liberal7 outletsRights groups' alarm over a second US boycottCenter2 outletsCouncil postpones US review to January, seeking returnConservative3 outletsUS becomes first country to skip review
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

The United States did not take part on Tuesday in a scheduled review of its human rights record by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. All 193 UN member states go through this review, called the universal periodic review, about every four to five years. The US also skipped its slot a year ago. The November 2025 review had been moved to Tuesday in hopes Washington would change its mind.

The council's president, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro of Indonesia, said the US delegation was not present. The council says a review cannot go ahead without the country taking part. The Washington Examiner reports that the US became the first UN member to fully refuse such a review, and the AP says it was set to become the first.

The 47-member council then agreed by consensus, without a vote, to push the review back to January. A State Department spokesperson said the US gives "no credibility to the agency" and called the council an "irredeemable body." The Trump administration pulled the US out of the council last year, citing anti-American and anti-Israel bias.

Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union said the council should hold the US accountable. The ACLU and allies asked the UN human rights chief to present an update on US rights early next year.

Key figures

Three sides of the story

7Liberal2Center3Conservative

12 news outlets reported this

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Liberal7 outlets

Rights groups' alarm over a second US boycott

Al Jazeera leads with the boycott and the criticism it drew from rights groups, who say US rights violations have risen sharply to a level unmatched in decades. It quotes the council president at the start of the session, "The delegation of the United States is not present in the room," and reports the review was delayed until January. It quotes the State Department spokesperson, who said taking part would imply endorsement of the council's work, and notes the spokesperson did not respond to the allegations about the US record.

The ACLU's Jamil Dakwar says "Enough is enough," and Eric Tistounet, who was the council's first secretary, warns of "big trouble" for the review system. Al Jazeera adds that Washington maintains its deportations follow US immigration law. The Independent runs the AP wire report under the headline "ultimate snub," saying the US is expected to be the first country to refuse a review in full.

NPR reports that the US skipped the review for a second year running and that rights groups warn the absence risks undermining global accountability.

Center2 outlets

Council postpones US review to January, seeking return

Courthouse News, running an Associated Press report, leads with the council's decision. It agreed by consensus, without a vote, to push the review back to January, which gives it more time to try to persuade Washington to take part. The report says the US was set to become the first UN member ever to fully reject such a review and that it already skipped its slot a year ago. It quotes a State Department spokesperson's email to the AP, "we give no credibility to the agency," in which the spokesperson also called the council an "irredeemable body."

It explains that the review needs the country's participation, and that delegations normally present, face questions and hear recommendations. It cites Jamil Dakwar of the ACLU, who says the council should hold the US accountable, and Eric Tistounet, who says the walkout could affect the credibility of the review system. It also notes that the administration has said its deportations and targeted killings of alleged drug-runners are designed to protect US workers and help keep the country safe.

Conservative3 outlets

US becomes first country to skip review

The Washington Examiner leads with the milestone: the US became the first nation to skip a review of its rights record, and the first to refuse an entire cycle of the process. It quotes council president Suryodipuro, "Universality is the foundation on which the credibility of the universal periodic review rests." It describes a draft decision that calls on the US to resume taking part, asks the president to keep trying to persuade Washington, and would reschedule the review for the 54th session of the working group.

It reports criticism from the Netherlands, speaking for EU members, from Spain, and from Cuba, which accused the US of hypocrisy and, over its immigration policies, of pursuing a "racist agenda." The paper says it asked the State Department for comment. CBN News runs the AP report headlined "The US to Become First Nation to Fully Shun" the review, with the State Department spokesperson's "irredeemable body" remarks and the administration's reasons for leaving the council last year.

All sources: 12 articles from 12 outlets

Liberal (7)

Center (2)

Conservative (3)