GENEVA, Nov 8 — A United Nations meeting to review the United States’ human rights record opened without the US yesterday, with rights groups calling the absence a worrying sign of Washington’s retreat from global engagement on such issues.
The universal periodic review (UPR) is a chance for governments and rights groups to scrutinise all 193 UN members’ records every four to five years and recommend improvements. It is rare for a state not to attend the session.
A US State Department spokesperson said Washington is proud of its human rights record.
“As a founding member of the United Nations and primary champion of individual liberties, we will not be lectured about our human rights record by the likes of HRC (Human Rights Council) members such as Venezuela, China or Sudan,” it said.
Amnesty International called the US absence an “abdication of responsibility”.
Policies under US President Donald Trump, such as flights to deport migrants and a rollback of LGBTQ rights, as well as long-standing issues like the death penalty were on the agenda, according to a UN document.
Every government is expected to submit a report on its own record but the US did not.
US says council has protected rights abusers in the past
Efforts by UN Human Rights Council president Juerg Lauber to engage the US ahead of the meeting were unsuccessful, a document showed, and he suspended the review until next year.
The US spokesperson said the council had protected human rights abusers in the past, adding that its own participation in international bodies was focused on advancing American interests and values.
Sarah Decker, senior staff attorney at non-profit organisation Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, said the US’ absence should be of deep concern to all Americans. “It strips away an additional level of oversight for the human rights abuses happening every day under this administration,” she said.
Some US officials opposing Trump came to the UN in Geneva to discuss with other states and NGOs what they described as their human rights crisis.
“He (Trump) does not want a report card on his unceasing violations of human rights,” Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner told reporters. “We showed up because the president of the United States is not doing his job,” he said.
Cuba’s delegate at the meeting denounced the US’ absence as “irresponsible behaviour” and China said it was disappointed in the US’ decision, which it said showed a “lack of respect”.
Some diplomats were relieved to be spared the awkward task of commenting on Trump’s record. “It’s a blessing in disguise for nervous Nato allies,” said one Western diplomat.
Trump in February halted engagement with the Geneva rights council as he did in his first term. However, Washington still took part in the UPR in 2020 and submitted a report with the government then saying it was “committed to the principle that leadership in the field of human rights is by example”.
Israel has boycotted the event in the past and Nicaragua ceased cooperation this year.
