President Donald Trump is poised to sign an executive order withdrawing the United States from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as reported by POLITICO. This action is expected to take place later today and will also halt future U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
The forthcoming executive order is accompanied by a factsheet that criticizes the UNHRC for failing to meet its intended mission and for allegedly serving as a shield for nations that commit significant human rights violations. The document specifically highlights what it describes as the council's disproportionate focus on Israel, noting that in 2018, the year Trump first withdrew from the UNHRC, the council issued more resolutions condemning Israel than it did for Syria, Iran, and North Korea combined.
During his previous term, Trump’s administration, through then-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, expressed concerns that the UNHRC unfairly targeted nations known for maintaining human rights standards while overlooking those with poor records. The council currently includes several countries with notable human rights abuses, such as Cuba, China, and Eritrea.
The Biden administration previously paused funding for UNRWA following allegations regarding the involvement of some of its staff in a recent attack on Israel. Israel has also prohibited UNRWA operations on its territory, citing security concerns and accusations of promoting anti-Semitism and dependency among Palestinian refugees.
Additionally, a report from the watchdog organization UN Watch has criticized UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for allegedly prioritizing condemnation of the U.S. over other countries with severe human rights issues, raising further questions about the council's impartiality.