Guwahati: The United States is set to become the first country to completely boycott a periodic review of its human rights record by the United Nations Human Rights Council since the mechanism was established nearly two decades ago.
The review was scheduled for Tuesday, but the administration of President Donald Trump has refused to participate. Washington had already withdrawn from the Human Rights Council last year, accusing the Geneva-based body of displaying anti-American and anti-Israeli bias and failing to uphold the principles it claims to defend.
The council’s supporters argue that its mandate is essential to examining human rights conditions across all 193 UN member states, including the United States. Washington has faced international criticism over several policies, including its aggressive deportation measures and targeted killings of individuals suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Trump administration has defended these actions as necessary to protect American workers and national security.
The Human Rights Council conducts periodic assessments of the human rights records of all UN member states, usually once every four to five years. The exercise, known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), allows countries to present their records, respond to questions and receive recommendations from other governments.
US refuses to participate in review
The United States had been scheduled to undergo the review in November 2025. However, after the country failed to attend its allotted session, the council postponed the exercise until Tuesday, hoping Washington might reconsider its position.
That expectation was not fulfilled.
A State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press in an email that the US government did not recognise the credibility of the council.
The spokesperson described the body as fundamentally flawed, accusing it of undermining human rights through what Washington considers its failure to uphold its own principles and its repeated use of anti-American rhetoric. The administration also alleged that the council had consistently failed to condemn serious human rights violations.
The council’s rules require the country under review to participate in the process. Without representatives from the concerned government, the assessment cannot proceed.
Concerns over impact on UN review mechanism
During a Universal Periodic Review, national delegations present their governments’ human rights records, respond to questions from other countries and consider recommendations from fellow UN members.
The process is intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of human rights conditions and encourage governments to address shortcomings in their policies and practices.
However, the US decision to stay away has raised concerns among human rights advocates, who warn that it could weaken the credibility of the review mechanism and encourage other countries to avoid international scrutiny.
Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s human rights programme, criticised the administration’s position, saying it conveyed a disregard for international human rights accountability.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Monday, Dakwar said the ACLU and other civil society organisations were urging the UN human rights chief to present an assessment of the human rights situation in the United States early next year.
Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Human Rights Council’s first secretary, also warned that the US decision could undermine confidence in the review system.
He said the refusal of a major global power, which has historically presented itself as committed to human rights standards, to participate in the process could create serious difficulties for the council.