The US delegation missed its own human-rights review for the second year running. The council postponed the examination until January rather than completing it at this session.
The UN Human Rights Council postponed its examination of the United States’ human-rights record until January after the US delegation failed to attend in Geneva on 10 November 2026. Washington missed its own review for the second consecutive year.
Council President Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro announced the delegation’s absence as the session was about to begin, Al Jazeera said.
The delegation of the United States is not present in the room,
The Universal Periodic Review examines all 193 UN member states every four to five years, regardless of council membership. Countries submit human-rights reports for examination by other states, which make recommendations that are not legally binding.
The US withdrew from the council in February 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, alleging bias against Israel. A US State Department spokesperson said taking part in the review would imply endorsement of the council’s work. The spokesperson denied the body credibility and accused it of promoting anti-American rhetoric, without answering allegations about the US rights record.
UPR Info said Washington also missed its scheduled review on 7 November 2025, having communicated its refusal in a letter at the end of August. An organizational meeting then adopted a decision moving the examination to the review working group’s November 2026 session—the appointment Washington has now missed.
The ministry says it warned Mathias Licharz after he called for the unconditional release of people he described as arbitrarily detained, including Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi. It alleges his video incited unrest.
UN documents showed that countries planned to raise abortion access and the death penalty. US and international nongovernmental organizations sent nearly 200 submissions covering issues from migration to racial discrimination.
Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union alleged that attacks on fundamental human rights and civil liberties were “unprecedented in generations.” The council itself has not directly criticized Washington’s rights record, although its appointed experts have raised concerns, including about migrant deportations. Washington says those deportations comply with US immigration law.
UPR Info says the process lets domestic groups raise concerns internationally and brings other countries’ recommendations back for national follow-up. In a statement published by Human Rights Watch, rights groups argued that non-participation forfeits an opportunity for dialogue and for documenting conditions using contributions from governments, civil society, national rights institutions and UN bodies.
Before the scheduled review, the statement published by Human Rights Watch urged the council to request a briefing from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights if Washington again stayed away. The groups proposed a discussion at the council’s 64th session involving civil society and directly affected people, including victims and their families.
The groups cited Resolution 5/1, which says the council will address persistent non-cooperation as appropriate after exhausting efforts to encourage participation. They argued that another US absence would trigger that obligation. Their requested briefing and discussion remain proposals; the council’s decision postponed the US review.
Eric Tistounet, the council’s former first secretary and a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, warned that the US walkout could affect the credibility of the review system. The postponed US examination is scheduled for January.
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