U.S. Withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council: Impact and Next Steps | The Heritage Foundation

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The Heritage Foundation

 

Jul 19, 2018

 

On June 19, the United States announced that it was officially withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council. Prior to the announcement, the U.S. had engaged in extensive diplomatic efforts for more than a year to address the critical flaws of the Council, including persistent bias against Israel and the ability of human rights violators to win elections to the Council and undermine its effectiveness. Only after these efforts failed, did the U.S. withdraw. However, the U.S. also stated that was open to rejoining the Council if it were reformed. What reforms are necessary for the U.S. to return to the Council? Does U.S. withdrawal affect its financial support of and engagement with the Council, UN human rights experts, or the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights? How will the U.S. continue to advance its human rights agenda outside of the Human Rights Council?