Overview
- The United States failed to appear for its scheduled Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, becoming only the second country to skip the process since it began.
- Following the no-show, the Council set a new date in November 2026 and said it may take further steps if Washington remains disengaged.
- Civil society groups and some U.S. local officials held events at the UN and submitted reports alleging abuses including arbitrary detention, abusive immigration enforcement, excessive force at protests, rollbacks on reproductive and LGBT rights, and systemic racial discrimination.
- Rights advocates also flagged recent lethal strikes on vessels the administration labeled as drug traffickers and reported crackdowns on universities and arts institutions.
- The boycott follows President Trump’s February order pulling back from several UN bodies and contrasts with U.S. participation in the 2020 review, with Israel the only prior no-show before a postponed session in 2013.