Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to encourage the US to rejoin the UN Human Rights Council.

The United States’ decision to withdraw from the Human Rights Council is regrettable. As the Foreign Secretary has said, Britain’s support for the Council remains steadfast. It is the best tool the international community has to address human rights violations and abuses and to advance many of our international goals. It is for the United States to decide when to seek election back onto the Council, but the UK is committed to working to strengthen the Council from within and will continue to set out the case for US engagement. We will also continue to work with the United States on a number of human rights issues outside the Council including at the UN General Assembly and Security Council. ​