UN Council Defers US Human Rights Review to January

The U.N. Human Rights Council agreed by consensus to postpone its review of the United States’ human rights record until January, after the Trump administration did not take part in the scheduled review. The council’s 47 members adopted the delay without a vote, giving the U.S. government more time to decide whether to participate. No U.S. decision to join the rescheduled review has been reported.

The review is part of the council’s universal periodic review, which examines the records of all 193 U.N. member states, generally every four to five years. The council says a country’s participation is required and the process cannot proceed without national representatives. Delegations present their records, answer questions and hear recommendations from other governments.

The U.S. review had originally been scheduled for November 2025 and was moved to Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in the hope the administration might change its position. The United States had also skipped an earlier appointment for its review, according to reports on the process.

A State Department spokesperson said the United States gives the council no credibility and accused it of failing to uphold human-rights...