On November 10, the United States failed for the second time to participate in its United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR), setting a troubling and unprecedented record in the UPR’s nearly 20-year history. UN member states should ensure there are consequences for the United States’ persistent non-cooperation.
The UPR is a process in which the human rights record of every member state is periodically reviewed by other countries. It is a unique peer review mechanism aimed at ensuring universality of coverage and equal treatment of all states. The UPR is often the only occasion for discussion at the UN of a state’s human rights situation and for civil society groups to raise their concerns to a global audience. The US decision to disengage from this vital process is just the latest example of the Trump administration's disdain for human rights, its international obligations, and the UN multilateral system.
After the US was a no-show for its UPR today, the UN Human Rights Council again decided to give the US yet another opportunity to reengage with the process — rescheduling the US UPR for January 2027, justifying this decision on the basis of the cooperative nature of the mechanism. The ultimate strength of this process, however, lies in its universality. Member states should act now to uphold the UPR and its universal application, rather than risk undermining the integrity of the mechanism.
Allowing US non-participation to go without consequences disregards civil society’s and UN experts’ concerns regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, opens the door for other countries to treat participation in the UPR as optional, and incentivizes non-participation.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have called on the Human Rights Council to ensure consequences for persistent non-cooperation and create the space for dialogue that the US seeks to deny. The council should request that the UN high commissioner for human rights brief it on the human rights situation in the US at the 64th session in March 2027 with the participation of civil society groups and victims of US human rights violations.
The Human Rights Council needs to discuss the US human rights record, like every other UN member state. UPR universality must be protected at all costs. No exceptions allowed.
