Assessing the Impact of the United States Withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council

Abstract

This report describes the impact to date of the United States presence and withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council while outlining the U.S. political contexts as relevant to the research, the global opinions regarding the U.S.’s decision to withdrawal, and the outcomes that were achieved for human rights when the U.S. was a Council member. This context can be used as a proxy to understand future outcomes if the U.S. chooses to re-engage with the Council.

To contribute to the advocacy effort to initiate U.S. re-engagement at the Council, we recommend Human Rights First to: 1. Continuously advocate to U.S. policy makers for U.S. re-engagement with the Council 2. Develop an advocacy strategy to integrate policies and priorities of both Human Rights First and the U.S. government into other member states’ agenda at the Council 3. Participate in conversations on Council reform in Geneva and elsewhere 4. Continue to track any changes of operations, priorities, and political dynamics within the Council and its effect on advancing human rights beyond the Council