Trump Snubs UN Human Rights Review As Council Delays US Assessment

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday agreed to postpone its review of the United States’ human rights record until January 18–29, 2027, giving the Trump administration another opportunity to reconsider its decision to boycott the process.

The decision followed Washington's refusal to participate in its scheduled review for the second time, making the United States the first country to fully boycott the council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. According to AP, the 47-member council adopted the postponement without a vote, citing the US government's “continued non-cooperation” with the process.

Based in Geneva, the Human Rights Council examines the human rights records of all 193 UN member states, generally once every four to five years. The UPR is intended to provide an opportunity for governments to present their records, respond to questions from other countries and receive recommendations on improving their human rights policies.

The Trump administration withdrew the US from the council last year, accusing it of anti-American and anti-Israel bias and alleging that it failed to uphold the values it promotes.

The US government has also faced criticism over policies including strong-arm deportations and targeted killings of alleged drug-runners in the Caribbean and Pacific. The administration has said these measures are intended to protect US workers and help keep the country safe.

EU Expresses Concern Over US Boycott

The European Union, along with other supporters of the review mechanism, has maintained that the process is necessary to monitor human rights conditions across all UN member states.

Speaking after Tuesday's decision, Dutch envoy Simone van der Post, representing EU council members, said the bloc regretted Washington's refusal to participate.

“The EU regrets any situation in which full engagement with the mechanism does not occur, including the decision by the United States again not to participate in their review today,” she said.

“All states are subject to the scrutiny of their human rights situation by the international community,” she added.

The United States had already missed its scheduled review in November 2025. The council subsequently postponed it until Tuesday, hoping the administration would reconsider its position. However, Washington maintained its refusal to take part.

According to AP, the State Department reiterated its position in statements issued both before and after Tuesday's decision.

“(W)e give no credibility to the agency,” the department said.

“This irredeemable body makes a mockery of human rights through consistent failures to uphold its own ‘values’ as it pushes anti-American rhetoric,” the statement said, accusing the council of a “persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators.”

The council's rules require the participation of the country concerned for its national review to proceed.

During the process, national delegations, sometimes comprising a dozen or more officials, present their country's record, answer questions and hear recommendations from representatives of other countries. The exercise is intended to offer a comprehensive assessment of human rights conditions and encourage governments to improve their policies.

Rights Groups Say Washington Must Face Scrutiny

Human rights advocates have warned that the US decision to stay away could undermine the review mechanism and encourage other countries, particularly those uncomfortable with international scrutiny, to follow the same approach.

Phil Lynch, executive director of the advocacy group International Service for Human Rights, said the United States deserved scrutiny for its recent record on “migration, LGBT rights, racial discrimination and civic freedoms, like the right to protest,” as well as wars in the Middle East and “extrajudicial executions” in the Pacific and Caribbean.

“What has Washington got to hide?” he said.

Jamil Dakwar, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's human rights programme, criticised the administration's refusal to engage with the council.

“The administration is 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’,” he said.

Dakwar added that the ACLU and its allies had urged the UN human rights chief to respond by presenting an update on the human rights situation in the United States early next year.

US Decision Raises Questions Over Council's Credibility

The American boycott has also raised concerns about the credibility of the Human Rights Council's review mechanism, particularly given Washington's influence in international affairs.

Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the council's first secretary, said the decision could weaken confidence in the review system.

“If the predominant global power — which has always claimed to adhere to the human rights norms — doesn’t show up and doesn’t even justify why, then you are in big trouble,” he said.