US Walks Out of UN Council Over France Human Rights Row — SkimNews
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- US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on Monday during France's ambassador Jerome Bonnafont's remarks, protesting France's comparison of Washington's human rights voting to authoritarian states.
- The clash was triggered when the US joined North Korea and Russia in voting against extending Volker Turk's term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday.
- After that vote, France's UN mission posted on X: "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore."
- Turk's second term still passed with 144 states in favor, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, despite US opposition.
- US ambassador Dan Negrea said the delegation would continue staging walkouts until France "renounces their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric."
- US ambassador Jeff Bartos warned the US would "immediately reassess our engagement, participation, and funding" of the UN, adding "there will be consequences."
- The walkout occurred during an emergency Security Council meeting on Russia's war in Ukraine, and the Trump administration has already cut funding for UN agencies and withdrawn from dozens of UN entities.
Why it matters: The US escalated from voting against Turk's reappointment to physically walking out of a Security Council meeting, with ambassador Jeff Bartos warning of immediate funding reassessment. France's public callout of Washington's human rights record — met with threatened walkouts — turns an internal UN procedural dispute into a bilateral diplomatic confrontation with direct funding consequences.
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