Trump Administration Refuses To Participate In UN Human Rights Review, Cites Bias

Last Updated:August 28, 2025, 22:59 IST

The United States, under Donald Trump, will skip the UN Universal Periodic Review, drawing criticism.

US President Donald Trump. (Reuters)

The United States will not participate in a UN review of its human rights record, officials confirmed, in a move described by rights advocates as a troubling retreat from Washington’s global engagement on justice and accountability. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) requires all 193 UN member states to submit reports on their human rights performance every 4.5 to 5 years. These reports are reviewed by other countries, which then issue non-binding recommendations.

Trump Order Behind Withdrawal

A US State Department official told Reuters that the US will neither take part in the UPR process nor submit its report in November, when it and 13 other countries are scheduled for review. The decision follows an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump on February 4 to disengage from the UN Human Rights Council.

“Engagement in UPRs implies endorsement of the Council’s mandate and activities and ignores its persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators," the official said as per Reuters.

Spokespeople for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN human rights office confirmed that the US Mission in Geneva had formally notified them of the decision. According to council records, the US is now on track to become the first country to withhold a report entirely, unless it submits one before the current review period ends in July 2027.

Global Concern Over US Move

Ravina Shamdasani, chief spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said, “Constructive engagement with the Council, by the US and all states, has contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide over the years," she said.

Michael Posner, director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business and a former State Department official, warned, “By withdrawing from the UPR, the US gives gross human rights abusers like Iran, Russia and Sudan an excuse to follow suit."

Phil Lynch, Executive Director of the Geneva-based Service for Human Rights, went further, saying that under Donald Trump the “US is rapidly becoming a human rights pariah state."

US Defends Its Human Rights Record

In response, the State Department said the US remains “proud of its human rights record and leadership in advancing human rights around the world."

During Donald Trump’s first term, the US had still submitted its UPR in April-May 2020 despite having withdrawn from the Human Rights Council in 2018.

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world Trump Administration Refuses To Participate In UN Human Rights Review, Cites Bias

Read More