Photo by Kevin Harber

On August 28, 2025, Juliette de Rivero, the Chief of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Branch of the Office of the United Nations, announced that the United States has withdrawn its engagement from the UPR. The review of the United States’ fourth cycle was scheduled for November 7, 2025, but the government failed to submit its National Report by the August deadline.

The UPR serves as a cooperative mechanism for the Human Rights Council to review state fulfillments of human rights obligations. During each cycle, UN members and observer states offer recommendations covering a broad range of economic, social, cultural, political and civil human rights issues.

This announcement follows the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council in 2018, although the country continued to participate in the UPR by submitting its report in 2020. The current withdrawal may mark the first time in UPR history that a member state declines to take part in its own review. The decision reflects ongoing tensions between the current U.S. administration and the Human Rights Council. A U.S. States Department official told Reuters that participating in the UPR “implied endorsement of the Council’s mandate and activities and ignores its persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators.” In contrast, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) chief spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani emphasized that “constructive engagement with the Council, by the U.S. and all States, has contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide over the years.”