The United States will not participate in the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process and will miss its November reporting deadline, officials have confirmed.
Rights advocates have criticised the move, calling it a worrying retreat from Washington’s engagement on global human rights and justice issues.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said participation in UPR implies endorsement of the Human Rights Council’s mandate, noting the Council has consistently failed to condemn the worst human rights violators.
Experts warn the decision could give other countries, such as Iran, Russia and Sudan, an excuse to follow suit. Michael Posner, director of the Centre for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern, said the withdrawal undermines international human rights efforts. Phil Lynch of the Geneva-based NGO International Service for Human Rights described the U.S. as “rapidly becoming a human rights pariah state.”
The State Department emphasised that the U.S. remains proud of its human rights record and global leadership in advancing rights.
Under the UPR system, countries submit a national report alongside information from U.N. human rights reports and NGOs.
The U.S. will be the first country to skip a review unless it submits a report before the current cycle ends in July 2027.
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle Eas...
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on T...
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U....
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ...
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war ...
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday and was shot dead following a confrontation with security personnel. Fortunately, no one else was seriously injured, according to authorities.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Georgia has cancelled international tenders for the construction of major road sections that form part of a regional highway linking the country with the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Centuries-old palaces and mosques in Isfahan, Iran’s celebrated cultural capital, lie in ruins after a series of air raids struck the city’s historic centre, leaving officials to warn of a devastating loss to both national and global heritage. AnewZ’s Touraj Shiralilou visited the city.
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday and was shot dead following a confrontation with security personnel. Fortunately, no one else was seriously injured, according to authorities.
Freight transport on the China–Europe Railway Express grew strongly in the first two months of 2026, highlighting the growing importance of rail links between Asia and Europe. The network moved about 352,000 shipping containers between January and February, a 25% increase from a year earlier.
At least 64 people have been killed in southern Ethiopia following recent landslides and floods, the regional government’s communications office said on Thursday (12 March), citing local police
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
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