The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has clarified that the United States cannot withdraw from the council once its membership term concludes on December 31, 2024. As of January 1, 2025, the U.S. will transition to an observer state, similar to the 193 UN member states that are not part of the council.
Pascal Sim, spokesperson for the UNHRC, emphasized in a statement, \"For the record, the United States was a member of the Human Rights Council from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2024. Since January 1, 2025, the United States is no longer a member of the Human Rights Council and automatically became an observer state, like any of the 193 UN member states that are not Council members. An observer state of the Council cannot withdraw from an intergovernmental body it is no longer a part of.\"
The statement continued, \"As a matter of principle, and in the spirit of multilateral dialogue that characterizes the Council, we welcome and encourage the engagement of every UN Member State – whether as a Council member or an observer – in the work of the Council and its mechanisms.\"
Despite the change in status, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday, formally withdrawing the United States from the UNHRC.
The UNHRC comprises 47 member states, with roughly one-third of its seats up for election each year. Members serve three-year terms and may seek re-election once.
This latest development follows previous shifts in U.S. engagement with the council. During Trump's first term, the United States exited the UNHRC in June 2018. In February 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration would re-engage with the council as an observer. The U.S. rejoined the body as a full member in January 2022.
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U.S. cannot withdraw from a body it no longer belongs to, UNHRC says
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