A senior U.S. State Department official stated that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will announce on Monday that the United States will return to the Geneva-based council as an observer.
According to Reuters, the U.S. official confirmed that the country intends to return to the council, adding, "We know that the most effective way to reform and improve the council is to engage with it in a principled manner." He also remarked, "We know the council has the potential to be an important platform for those fighting tyranny and injustice around the world. Through our presence at the table, we seek to reform it and ensure that it can live up to this potential."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Human Rights Council in 2018, citing what he called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reforms.
The United Nations General Assembly, which includes 193 members, is scheduled to elect new members to the council later this year.
