US officials said Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a senior US diplomat in Geneva will announce on Monday that Washington will return to the UN Human Rights Council as an observer with an eye toward seeking election as a full member.
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US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Geneva-based body in 2018 due to its disproportionate focus on Israel, which has received by far the largest number of critical council resolutions against any country, as well as the number of authoritarian countries among its members and because it failed to meet an extensive list of reforms demanded by then-US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
In addition to the council's persistent focus on Israel, the Trump administration took issue with the body's membership, which currently includes China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Venezuela, all of which have been accused of human rights abuses.
