The United States stands as the only member state to ever skip the Universal Periodic Review, which evaluates all 193 nations every four to five years. Civil society advocates traveled to Geneva anyway to submit evidence regarding domestic abuses, while fellow member states readied inquiries on matters like capital punishment and abortion access. The United Nations has opted to postpone deciding how to formally handle the diplomatic absence until early next year.
Key points
Insiders caution that reviewing an absent member state could establish a dangerous preced…: Insiders caution that reviewing an absent member state could establish a dangerous precedent that encourages other countries to skip future evaluations.
Washington's refusal to participate aligns with a wider trend of stepping back from multi…: Washington's refusal to participate aligns with a wider trend of stepping back from multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization.
The United Nations has delayed its formal decision on how to manage the American absence…: The United Nations has delayed its formal decision on how to manage the American absence until early next year.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
GENEVA, Switzerland — The United States has left an empty chair at a key United Nations human rights review for the second year running, becoming the only U.N. member state ever to do so.
The review, known as the universal periodic review, is meant to be just that: universal. Each state is reviewed every four to five years by fellow member states. The aim is to ensure that every country, however powerful, undergoes a peer review of its human rights record.
As well as diplomats from countries under review, civil society groups are allowed to submit evidence too. Several made the trip to Geneva, led by the American Civil Liberties Union.
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