World Affairs
UN postpones U.S. rights review after second no-show
The 47-member council adopted the delay without a vote and asked its president to keep pressing for U.S. cooperation.
Executive summary
- A second delay: The Human Rights Council postponed the U.S. Universal Periodic Review until Jan. 18-29, 2027, after the United States again did not attend its scheduled assessment.[1][2][1][2]
- Council action: The 47-member council adopted the postponement without a vote and asked its president to continue efforts to secure U.S. cooperation.[1][2][1][2]
- Washington's position: The State Department said participation would imply endorsement of the council's work and accused it of anti-American rhetoric, Reuters reported.[3][3]
The U.N. Human Rights Council postponed its review of the United States’ human rights record until Jan. 18-29, 2027, after Washington again failed to attend the assessment scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva.[1][2][1][2]
The council’s 47 member states adopted the delay without a vote, describing the case as “continued non-cooperation.” It set a new date in the working group’s 54th session and asked the council president to keep urging Washington to take part.[1][2][1][2]
The U.S. first missed its scheduled review on Nov. 7, 2025. The council then called on the country to resume cooperation, directed its president to urge its return and rescheduled the review for the 53rd working-group session in 2026.[4][4]
The Universal Periodic Review examines the rights records of all 193 U.N. member states. Governments submit material and face questions and recommendations from other countries; the process offers a regular forum for states and civil society to raise rights concerns.[1][3][1][3]
The administration’s stated objection is that participation would imply endorsement of the Human Rights Council’s work. A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington gives the body no credibility and accused it of promoting anti-American rhetoric.[3][3]
The council’s decision followed a first postponement a year ago. The 2025 decision left open the possibility that the U.S. review could be scheduled sooner, but the council set it for Nov. 10, 2026, and the United States again did not appear.[1][4][1][4]
The European Union regretted the U.S. absence and said all states are subject to international scrutiny, AP reported. Human Rights Watch called for the council to seek a briefing from the U.N. human rights chief at its March 2027 session, with civil society groups and affected people participating; that is the group’s proposal, not a council decision.[1][5][1][5]
The Human Rights Council has 47 members, while the UPR applies to every U.N. member country. The January date gives the United States another opportunity to join the peer review; the council’s decision does not itself conduct an assessment of the U.S. record.[1][2][1][2]