(WASHINGTON) — PEN America condemned the Trump administration’s unprecedented withdrawal from participation in the upcoming United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States scheduled for November 2025, fearing it sets a precedent for other countries to follow and signifies a fundamental retreat from U.S. commitments to free expression and human rights more broadly.
The UPR is a unique mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council requiring all 193 UN member states to periodically assess their own human rights practices and engage with recommendations from the international community, regardless of treaty ratification status. U.S. nonparticipation undermines a process that has been a cornerstone of international human rights accountability and transparency since its establishment in 2006. While several countries have postponed their engagement in the UPR process, no country has ever completely refused to participate.
Hadar Harris, managing director of the free expression and writers’ organization’s Washington, DC office, said:
“This action sets a devastating precedent for universal review of human rights norms and suggests a blatant disregard for the U.S.’s international human rights obligations. It also signals to other countries like Russia, Iran, and China that they do not need to be accountable for protecting the human rights of their people, including writers and journalists who seek to tell important stories in their society. This is a misguided retreat from US leadership in the international community. Whereas the U.S. has led participation and engagement in the past, it is now leading a potential retreat from this process. PEN America condemns the decision to withdraw and strongly urges the administration to reconsider.
“This withdrawal also signals that the United States is not open to examination of its own conduct – something which has been an important principle undergirding the United States’ promotion of rule of law, freedom of expression, and human rights around the world. As the Trump administration reconsiders its multilateral engagement on human rights and other issues, we strongly urge the U.S. to remain actively engaged and be a constructive force for freedom of expression and all other human rights at home and abroad.”
Underscoring the importance of this review, over 150 submissions from civil society groups were received in advance of the review of the United States, which formally began with a pre-session meeting in Geneva on August 28. PEN America and PEN International collaborated on a submission highlighting how a wave of state legislation censoring higher education since 2021 constitutes a violation of students’ rights to an education.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582