US Cannot Withdraw From Body It No Longer Belongs To: UNHRC
Click to start listening
Synopsis
The UN Human Rights Council indicated that the US's term ended on January 1, 2025, making it ineligible to withdraw from a body it no longer belongs to. Following the US's withdrawal, it retains observer status.
Key Takeaways
- The US's term on the UNHRC ended on January 1, 2025.
- Post-2025, the US will be an observer state.
- The UNHRC is composed of 47 member states.
- Trump withdrew the US from the UNHRC in 2018.
- Biden's administration re-engaged as an observer.
Geneva, Feb 7 (NationPress) The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has announced that as of January 1, 2025, the US' membership term has concluded, rendering it ineligible to withdraw from an intergovernmental body it is no longer associated with.
"To clarify, the United States was a participant in the Human Rights Council from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024. Since January 1, 2025, the United States is no longer part of the Human Rights Council and has automatically transitioned to an observer state, similar to any of the 193 UN member nations that are not Council members. An observer state cannot withdraw from an intergovernmental body it is no longer affiliated with," stated Pascal Sim, spokesperson for the UNHRC, in a statement to Xinhua news agency.
"In line with our principles and the spirit of multilateral dialogue that defines the Council, we invite and advocate for the participation of every UN Member State -- whether as a Council member or observer -- in the work of the Council and its mechanisms," the statement continued.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday, officially withdrawing the US from the UNHRC, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The UNHRC consists of 47 member countries, with nearly one-third of its positions up for election each year. Member states serve three-year terms and can be re-elected once.
During Trump's initial term, the US exited the UNHRC in June 2018.
In February 2021, then Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the Joe Biden administration would re-engage with the Council as an observer.
The US rejoined the body in January 2022 as a full member.
Trump had also withdrawn the US from the Human Rights Council in June 2018. His ambassador to the UN at that time, Nikki Haley, accused the council of having a "chronic bias against Israel" and pointed to what she claimed were human rights violators among its members.
President Joe Biden reaffirmed support for the Human Rights Council, resulting in the US securing a seat on the 47-nation body in October 2021. However, the Biden administration revealed in late September that the US would not pursue a second consecutive term.
Trump's recent order has minimal tangible impact since the US is already not a member of the council, according to spokesperson Pascal Sim.
Nonetheless, like all other UN member countries, the US inherently has informal observer status and will still occupy a seat in the council's ornate round chamber at the UN complex in Geneva.
