The U.S. becomes the first country to skip a review of human rights: Shared by Robert Cohen

Editor's Note: The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a peer-review mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) under the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United States announced in August 2025 that it would not participate in its upcoming UPR review. 

Three Independent accounts say this is an unprecedented or near-unprecedented move (i.e., no prior U.S. withdrawal of this sort) and risks making the U.S. the first country to miss a UPR review.

The U.S. flouts the UN and international accountability. Again.
Nadia Ben-Youssef
Center for Constitutional Rights
November 5, 2025 — Click here for the article

Summary
In a statement accompanying the scheduled Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States, the Center for Constitutional Rights condemned the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the UN process, making the U.S. the first nation to evade this global human rights review. The organization says the withdrawal is part of a broader pattern of dismantling civil rights protections, criminalizing migrants, expanding state violence, and undermining international accountability. CCR and its partners had submitted a record 155 stakeholder reports documenting U.S. human rights violations and supported 150 state and local officials who voiced opposition to the administration’s actions. Two related side events in Geneva are bringing together activists and officials to demand renewed commitment to human rights principles.

Quotes
“The U.S. is pulling out of human rights mechanisms like the UPR so that it can get away with upending civil rights protections, eliminating the social safety net, criminalizing and torturing migrants, and sending weapons to Israel to perpetuate genocide against Palestinians.”
“For all of its flaws, the human rights at the heart of the UN system are worth fighting for with everything we have.”