U.S. President Donald Trump is expected on Tuesday to stop U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, a White House official said on Monday, APA reports citing Reuters.
The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing the agency of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being "involved in terrorist activities against Israel."
A UNRWA spokesperson declined to comment on an order that has not yet been issued, describing the agency's financial situation as already "very, very bad".
U.N. Human Rights Council acting spokesperson Pascal Sim said he was unaware of any communication from Washington, but that no formal process existed since the U.S. is not currently a voting member.
During Trump's first term in office, from 2017-2021, he also cut off funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.
The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform. The U.S. is not currently a member of the Geneva-based body. Under Democratic former President Joe Biden, the U.S. was re-elected and served a 2022-2024 term.
Biden's envoy to the council previously urged Trump to stay active, partly to counter China's "dangerous" influence.
A Human Rights Council working group is due to review the U.S. human rights record later this year, a process all countries undergo every few years. While the council has no legally binding power, its debates carry political weight and criticism can raise global pressure on governments to change course.
Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered that the U.S. withdraw from the World Health Organization and from the Paris climate agreement - also steps he took during his first term in office.
