Biden looks to rejoin UN Human Rights Council in yet another reversal of Trump policies

United States President Joe Biden is seeking to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council after former President Donald Trump exited the international body in 2018.  

 Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a senior US diplomat in Geneva is likely to announce the return of the US to the UNHRC later this week. 

“When we work closely with our allies and friends, we are able to call countries with the worst human rights records to account in the @UN Human Rights Council. U.S. leadership matters,” Blinken tweeted. 

The @UN Human Rights Council is flawed and needs reform, but walking away won’t fix it. The best way to improve the Council, so it can achieve its potential, is through robust and principled U.S. leadership. Under @POTUS Biden, we are reengaging and ready to lead.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 8, 2021

When it works well, the @UN Human Rights Council shines a spotlight on countries with the worst human rights records and can serve as a beacon for those fighting against injustice and tyranny. That’s why the U.S. is back at the table.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 8, 2021

When we work closely with our allies and friends, we are able to call countries with the worst human rights records to account in the @UN Human Rights Council. U.S. leadership matters.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 8, 2021

Trump had quit the 47-member council as part of his ‘America First’ policy, calling the UN body a "cesspool of political bias” and a “self-serving organization displaying unending hostility towards Israel”. 

Biden will seek to secure one of three full member seats from the "Western Europe and other states group" that will be up for grabs later this year. These seats are currently held by Austria, Denmark, and Italy.