The United States has announced it will not participate in the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of its human rights record scheduled for November, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from rights advocates.
A US State Department official told Reuters that Washington would neither engage in the UPR process nor submit its national human rights report. The official argued that participation would amount to endorsing the UN Human Rights Council, which the US accuses of failing to hold serious violators accountable.
The decision follows President Donald Trump’s February 4 executive order directing the US to disengage from the Human Rights Council. “The US is proud of its human rights record and leadership in advancing human rights around the world,” the official said, insisting the country remained committed to its values despite stepping back from the review.
UN officials confirmed that the US mission in Geneva had formally notified them of the decision. Records show the US could become the first country not to deliver a report under the UPR system unless it submits one before the current review cycle ends in July 2027.
The UPR requires all 193 UN member states to undergo a rights review every four to five years, based on national reports, UN assessments, and civil society submissions. The US last participated in April–May 2020, despite its earlier withdrawal from the Human Rights Council in 2018.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) described the US move as “regrettable.” OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said constructive engagement by all states had contributed significantly to global human rights promotion.
Rights groups also condemned the withdrawal. Michael Posner, director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University, warned that the decision could embolden “gross human rights abusers like Iran, Russia and Sudan” to evade scrutiny.
Phil Lynch, Executive Director of the International Service for Human Rights, said the refusal to participate showed “disdain for people facing discrimination” and argued the US was “rapidly becoming a human rights pariah state.”
