The Aporia
The Aporia
The Straits Times. (2026, November 10). US to skip UN human rights review, drawing censure. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-to-skip-un-human-rights-review-drawing-censure
The Straits Times. “US to skip UN human rights review, drawing censure.” The Straits Times, 10 Nov. 2026, https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-to-skip-un-human-rights-review-drawing-censure.
The Straits Times. “US to skip UN human rights review, drawing censure.” The Straits Times, November 10, 2026. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-to-skip-un-human-rights-review-drawing-censure.
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As of November 10, 2026, the United States became the first country to fully shun a regular review of its human rights record at the U.N.’s Human Rights Council since it was established two decades ago. The Trump administration pulled the US out of the council in 2025, accusing it of anti-U.S. and anti-Israel bias. This marks the second consecutive year that the U.S. has skipped its review appointment. Supporters of the council argue it is essential to monitor human rights globally, including in the U.S., which has faced criticism for policies like strong-arm deportations and targeted killings. The U.N. had postponed the scheduled November 2025 review until November 10, 2026, hoping the U.S. might reconsider, but it did not. A State Department spokesperson dismissed the council as a "mockery of human rights," citing its failure to condemn serious violations.
The United States will spurn a UN meeting on Tuesday where its human rights record under President Donald Trump was due to be examined, drawing criticism from rights groups who say violations have surged to levels not seen in decades.
Washington disengaged from the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council last year, citing an anti-Israel bias, and this is the second year in a row that it has skipped its own review — a process that even dictatorships take part in.
