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United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by OLAADEGBU(op): 3:07pm On Jun 20, 2018
United States Withdraws From UN Human Rights Council as Criticism mounts over border policy
Nick Allen, washington Harriet Alexander, New York
20 JUNE 2018 • 2:24PM


The United States announced it was withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, dismissing it as a "cesspool of political bias" for its anti-Israel stance.

It marks the latest rejection of multilateral engagement by the Trump administration - following its exit from the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear deal - and comes a day after the UN's most senior human rights official condemned the US for separating children from parents at the border with Mexico.

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, issued the announcement, with Mrs Haley saying the Geneva-based organisation was "not worthy of its name."

Mrs Haley described the council as a "protector of human rights abusers" and accused the body of "politicising and scapegoating countries with positive human rights records."

She said the decision had not been taken lightly, and added: "We take this step because our commitment does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organisation that makes a mockery of human rights."

She said the US would have stayed if the changes they sought had been implemented, and said she did not rule out rejoining at a later date.

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, said the US decision was "regrettable.".

"We've made no secret of the fact that the UK wants to see reform of the human rights council, but we are committed to working to strengthen the council from within," he said.

"Britain's support for the human rights council remains steadfast. It is the best tool the international community has to address impunity in an imperfect world and to advance many of our international goals.

"That's why we will continue to support and champion it."

Mrs Haley announced last year that Washington was reviewing its membership of the 47-country body.

The US is halfway through a three-year term and its departure marks the first time that a sitting member would volunteer to step aside.

Libya was suspended in 2011 after a government crackdown on unarmed protesters.

Under President George W Bush the US refused to join the Geneva-based forum when it was created in 2006, but did so after President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Established to promote human rights worldwide the council has passed more than 70 resolutions critical of Israel, 10 times as often as it has criticised Iran.

The US move came as Donald Trump achieved his highest job rating since the first week of his presidency.

For the first time since January 2017 he recorded an approval figure of 45 per cent in a weekly Gallup poll.

It meant Mr Trump's popularity was exactly the same as Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan at the same stage of their presidencies, while Barack Obama was at 46 per cent.

The poll was conducted over the course of last week and reflected a strengthening economy, falling unemployment, and the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

It was unclear how much the poll had been affected by a growing furore over a new "zero tolerance" policy of separating illegal immigrant parents from their children at the Mexican border.

A separate Quinnipiac poll showed 66 per cent of Americans oppose the controversial policy, although 55 Per cent of Republicans support it.

The policy means all illegal immigrants are now detained and prosecuted, and their children are removed and held in separate detention centres.

The UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein criticised the policy on Monday, calling it "unconscionable."

Mrs Haley hit back on Tuesday, attacking the council for its own "hypocrisy."

The council's current membership includes 14 countries that are ranked as "not free" by Freedom House: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, China, Cuba, Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

"Once again, the United Nations shows its hypocrisy by calling out the United States while it ignores the reprehensible human rights records of several members of its own human rights council," she said.

In the past, illegal immigrant families were "caught and released" while they awaited proceedings. Over a six-week period more than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents, and photographs have emerged of minors being held in wire mesh cages.

A secretly recorded tape also emerged of Central American children at a detention centre in Texas crying and pleading for their parents as a guard joked: "We have an orchestra here."

Mr Trump on Tuesday said America was being "infested" by illegal immigrants and members of the MS-13 gang, and blamed Democrats for the crisis.

He wrote on Twitter: "Democrats are the problem. They don't care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our country, like MS-13. They can't win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters! We must always arrest people coming into our country illegally."

Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, dismissed comparisons to Nazi concentration camps. He told Fox News: "Well, it's a real exaggeration, of course. In Nazi Germany, they were keeping the Jews from leaving the country."

There was condemnation from all four living US former first ladies, and a host of senior Republicans including Senator John McCain. Ted Cruz, the high profile conservative Republican senator from Texas, also said he was "horrified" and that "this has to stop".

Mr Cruz said he was introducing a bill in Congress to allow illegal immigrant families to stay together in temporary shelters.

Mr Trump was scheduled to meet with Republicans in Congress to discuss potential immigration bills on Tuesday night.

At a meeting for small business owners on Tuesday, he said: "We want to solve this problem. I don't want children taken away from their parents.

"When you prosecute the parents for coming in illegally, which should happen, you have to take the children away."

He said there were only two choices - "totally open borders or criminal prosecution".

Mr Trump said he was asking Congress for a "third option".

Democrats accused the president of using the separation of families as a "negotiating tool" as he sought to strong-arm them into supporting funding for a border wall.

Meanwhile, more than $4.8 million was raised on Facebook to help separated families with legal services.

It was the social network's largest ever fundraiser and those donating included chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/19/united-states-announce-withdrawal-un-human-rights-council/
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by OLAADEGBU(op): 3:24pm On Jun 20, 2018
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by OLAADEGBU(op): 10:56am On Jan 08
Trump Orders U.S. Withdrawal From 66 International Organisations, Including 31 UN Bodies
January 8, 2026
NEWS

The United States President Donald J. Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including 35 non–United Nations bodies and 31 United Nations entities.

Titled: "Memorandum For The Heads Of Executive Departments And Agencies," published on The White House website, President Trump declared that continued participation in those groups no longer serves American interests.

The directive follows a comprehensive review ordered under Executive Order 14199, signed on February 4, 2025, which required the Secretary of State to assess U.S. involvement in all international intergovernmental organizations, conventions, and treaties receiving American funding or support.

According to the memorandum, the Secretary of State submitted findings that were reviewed by the president and his Cabinet before the final determination was made.

“After deliberating with my Cabinet, [I] have determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to the organizations listed,” Trump stated in the memorandum.

Under the order, all executive departments and agencies are instructed to take “immediate steps” to effectuate U.S. withdrawal as soon as legally permissible. For United Nations entities, withdrawal will involve ceasing participation or funding to the extent allowed by law.

The list of affected non-UN organizations spans a wide range of policy areas, including climate change, energy, environmental conservation, democracy promotion, cultural preservation, cybersecurity, and regional cooperation.

Among them are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Freedom Online Coalition.

The memorandum also orders withdrawal from several regional and security-related groups, including the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.

On the United Nations side, the administration directed the U.S. to cease participation in or funding for multiple UN offices, commissions, and programs, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Women, the UN Population Fund, UN Conference on Trade and Development, and several offices focused on human rights, peacebuilding, and development.

Other affected UN bodies include the International Law Commission, the Peacebuilding Fund, UN Water, UN Oceans, and the UN University system.

The memorandum emphasizes that the review process is ongoing and signals that additional organizations or agreements could be targeted in the future.

“My review of further findings of the Secretary of State remains ongoing,” Trump wrote.

Implementation of the order will be carried out by the State Department, which is authorized to issue additional guidance to federal agencies as needed. The memorandum also specifies that the directive does not override existing legal authorities or budgetary controls and does not create enforceable legal rights for any party.

The decision marks one of the most sweeping withdrawals from international institutions by the United States in modern history and reflects the Trump administration’s renewed “America First” approach to foreign policy, prioritizing national sovereignty, cost reduction, and reassessment of multilateral commitments.

The Secretary of State has been directed to publish the memorandum in the Federal Register.

Full List of Organizations from Which the United States Shall Withdraw. (a) Non-United Nations Organizations:

(i) 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact;

(ii) Colombo Plan Council;

(iii) Commission for Environmental Cooperation;

(iv) Education Cannot Wait;

(v) European Centre of Excellence for Countering

Hybrid Threats;

(vi) Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories;

(vii) Freedom Online Coalition;

(viii) Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund;

(ix) Global Counterterrorism Forum;

(x) Global Forum on Cyber Expertise;

(xi) Global Forum on Migration and Development;

(xii) Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research;

(xiii) Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development;

(xiv) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;

(xv) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services;

(xvi) International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property;

(xvii) International Cotton Advisory Committee;

(xviii) International Development Law Organization;

(xix) International Energy Forum;

(xx) International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies;

(xxi) International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance;

(xxii) International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law;

(xxiii) International Lead and Zinc Study Group;

(xxiv) International Renewable Energy Agency;

(xxv) International Solar Alliance;

(xxvi) International Tropical Timber Organization;

(xxvii) International Union for Conservation of Nature;

(xxviii) Pan American Institute of Geography and History;

(xxix) Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation;

(Bleep) Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia;

(xxxi) Regional Cooperation Council;

(xxxii) Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century;

(xxxiii) Science and Technology Center in Ukraine;

(xxxiv) Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme; and

(xxxv) Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

(b) United Nations (UN) Organizations:

(i) Department of Economic and Social Affairs;

(ii) UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — Economic Commission for Africa;

(iii) ECOSOC — Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;

(iv) ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific;

(v) ECOSOC — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia;

(vi) International Law Commission;

(vii) International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals;

(viii) International Trade Centre;

(ix) Office of the Special Adviser on Africa;

(x) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict;

(xi) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict;

(xii) Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children;

(xiii) Peacebuilding Commission;

(xiv) Peacebuilding Fund;

(xv) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent;

(xvi) UN Alliance of Civilizations;

(xvii) UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries;

(xviii) UN Conference on Trade and Development;

(xix) UN Democracy Fund;

(xx) UN Energy;

(xxi) UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women;

(xxii) UN Framework Convention on Climate Change;

(xxiii) UN Human Settlements Programme;

(xxiv) UN Institute for Training and Research;

(xxv) UN Oceans;

(xxvi) UN Population Fund;

(xxvii) UN Register of Conventional Arms;

(xxviii) UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination;

(xxix) UN System Staff College;

(Bleep) UN Water; and

(xxxi) UN University.

SaharaReporters
According to the memorandum, the Secretary of State submitted findings that were reviewed by the president and his Cabinet before the final determination was made.

Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by Baxilexi(m): 6:22am On Jan 09
About time!

The UN has become a powerless, how are you a custodian of human rights and oversee its infringement world over without repercussions.

The US will rejoin when more nations become pro-humanity.
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by soqmeov(m): 12:40pm On Jan 10
Baxilexi:
About time!

The UN has become a powerless, how are you a custodian of human rights and oversee its infringement world over without repercussions.

The US will rejoin when more nations become pro-humanity.
Why? Because the US is the chief "pro-humanist"? grin cheesy grin cheesy cheesy grin
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by OLAADEGBU(op): 10:12pm On Mar 27
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by OLAADEGBU(op): 9:04am On Apr 12
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by donleo92(m): 9:07am On Apr 12
Supported grin

Let the organization finance it's self grin

America has been financing organizations that want their downfall huh

Let the the organization support itself grin
Re: United States Announce Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council by fineboynl(m): 11:41am On Apr 12
Harry S. Truman Speech and warning before the bombing of japan. Vs Donald Trump


https://www.tiktok.com/video/7626931951655570702?_r=1&_t=ZS-95SBrEe4Tg8


History is about to repeat itself.
1 Reply

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