GENEVA, November 10, 2026 — The United States has skipped a scheduled United Nations review of its human rights record for the second consecutive year, leaving its seat empty at a session in Geneva and prompting the UN Human Rights Council to postpone the examination until January 2027.
The review was part of the Universal Periodic Review process, under which all 193 UN member states periodically submit information about their human rights records and receive recommendations from other countries. Those recommendations are not legally binding, but the process is intended to provide a forum for scrutiny and encourage governments to address rights concerns.
The State Department said that taking part would imply endorsement of the council’s work. A spokesperson criticised the 47-member body as biased against the United States and said it had failed to uphold its stated values. Washington withdrew from the council’s work last year, citing what it described as anti-Israel bias.
Countries had planned to raise a range of issues during the US review, including abortion, the death penalty, immigration enforcement and racial discrimination. Nearly 200 submissions from American and international non-governmental organisations had also been filed for consideration, according to documents cited by Reuters.
Human rights advocates criticised the decision, arguing that a government should be willing to face scrutiny regardless of disagreements with the institution conducting the review. The American Civil Liberties Union said the country was experiencing serious pressure on fundamental rights and civil liberties, while campaigners called for the UN human rights chief to maintain attention on the US situation.
The postponement does not amount to a finding against the United States, and the review has not been completed. The next scheduled opportunity in January will test whether Washington is prepared to re-engage with a process that it has previously used during earlier administrations.