The United States skipped a United Nations review of its human rights record in Geneva on Tuesday, prompting the UN Human Rights Council to postpone the examination until January, Al Jazeera reported.

It was the second consecutive year Washington had declined to attend its own review. All 193 UN member states undergo the Universal Periodic Review process every four to five years.

“The delegation of the United States is not present in the room,” council president Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro announced as the session was due to begin.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera that participating would imply endorsement of the council’s work. The spokesperson accused the body of promoting anti-American rhetoric but did not respond to allegations about the U.S. human rights record.

Washington withdrew from the council in February 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, alleging bias against Israel. The United States submitted a Universal Periodic Review report during Trump’s first term.

According to Al Jazeera, UN documents showed that countries had planned to raise abortion access and the death penalty during the examination. U.S. and international non-governmental organizations also filed nearly 200 submissions addressing issues including migration and racial discrimination.

Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the administration’s record, telling reporters in Geneva: “We’ve seen attacks on fundamental human rights and civil liberties unprecedented in generations.”

The council itself has not directly criticized Washington’s rights record, Al Jazeera reported. Experts have raised concerns about migrant deportations, which the U.S. government maintains comply with immigration law.

Eric Tistounet, a visiting professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute and the council’s first secretary, warned that U.S. non-participation could undermine the credibility of the review system.

Sources