US withdraws from Human Rights Council
US President Donald J. Trump has signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and prohibiting any future funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East (UNRWA).
The executive order also requires the Secretary of State to review and report to the President on which international organizations, conventions, or treaties promote radical or anti-American sentiment.
The UN Educational, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in particular, will undergo a review under an expedited timeline due to its history of anti-Israel bias, according to the statement issued by White House.
The White House statement said the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has not fulfilled its purpose and continues to be used as a protective body for countries committing horrific human rights violations.
Countries such as Iran, China, and Cuba use the UNHRC to shield themselves despite having egregious records of human rights violations and abuses, the statement says, The UNHRC has demonstrated consistent bias against Israel, focusing on it unfairly and disproportionately in council proceedings.
In 2018, the year President Trump withdrew from the UNHRC in his first administration, the organization passed more resolutions condemning Israel than Syria, Iran, and North Korea combined.
