United States skips UN human rights review again, delaying examination until January

The United States has again refused to take part in its United Nations human rights review in Geneva, prompting the UN Human Rights Council to postpone examination of Washington's record until January. The session was due to begin on Tuesday, but US representatives did not appear in the room when the review was called. It is the second consecutive year that the United States has skipped the process.

The council president, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro of Indonesia, announced that the US delegation was not present as the meeting was set to start. Under the UN system, all 193 member states undergo a periodic review of their human rights record every four to five years. The refusal to attend meant the council could not proceed as planned, and the examination was delayed to a later date.

The boycott comes after the United States withdrew from the council in February 2025, shortly after Donald Trump began his second presidential term. Washington said at the time that the body was biased against Israel. A State Department spokesperson said participation in the review would amount to endorsing the council's work, and described the body as lacking credibility.

The spokesperson did not respond to the allegations raised about the US human rights record. The delay matters because the review is one of the main UN mechanisms for publicly examining the rights records of member states. According to UN documents, countries had planned to raise issues including abortion access and the death penalty.

Rights groups have also raised concerns about migrant deportations, while the US says those actions are carried out under immigration law. Nearly 200 submissions were sent to the UN by US and international non-governmental organisations, covering topics from migration to racial discrimination. The episode also reflects a broader strain in relations between the Trump administration and the UN system.

The administration has criticised the organisation, withdrawn Washington from key agencies, cut funding and bypassed the UN in launching the war on Iran, according to the supporting material. The council has not directly criticised the US record in this session, but the absence of the United States has again drawn attention to the limits of the review process when a major member state declines to participate. What remains unclear is how the January session will proceed and whether Washington will attend then.

It is also not clear whether the postponement will change the substance of the questions likely to be raised about the US record. For now, the immediate consequence is that the review has been delayed, while criticism of the boycott is likely to continue among rights advocates and UN observers.

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