*'' ! US -WITHDRAWS - {UN} ! ''*

UNITED NATIONS  : US withdraws from UN Rights Council. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador to the United Nations  Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday evening:

That Washington had decided to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, citing  ''failed efforts to reform the body's membership and do away with an agenda item focused on human rights'' in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

The 47 member Council in the UN's top human rights body. Diplomats saw the US withdrawal from the world body as further evidence of the Trump administration's retreat from a commitment to human rights, multilateralism and a rules-based international order.

This is the first time any country has voluntarily left the Human Rights Council. The only other member to leave your was Libya, whose membership was suspended in 2011 after the UN General  Assembly deemed the government responsible for human rights violations.

''The withdrawal of the US is deeply regrettable,'' said International Service for Human Rights  {ISHR}. Director, Phil Lynch. ''The constructive engagement of the United States with a genuine commitment to human rights and the rule of law, is essential for peace, security and sustainable development.

''While the Human Rights Council is far from perfect, it makes a significant contribution to protecting Human Rights, providing justice to victims, and promoting accountability for perpetrators,'' Mr. Lynch said.

''The role  the  Council  has played in securing the  freedom of  detained  human rights defenders, in shining a spotlight  on human rights  atrocities in Syria and North Korea, and in protecting women's rights,  LGBT rights, and freedom of expression online and offline , are just a few examples.''

In recent years, Washington has played an important leadership role in addressing situations of concern at the  Council, such as  Sri Lanka and China, and curbing the influence of authoritarian and repressive states.

''Even under the current administration, US diplomatic efforts have been key to ensuring that the Council maintains its focus  on human rights monitoring., reporting and accountability, and resisting the idea popular among some states that any discussion on human rights in a  given country somehow violates sovereignty,'' said Salma EI Hoessiny, a  UNHRC  advocate at the  International Service for Human Rights.

The US withdrawal from  Human Rights  Council  hardly comes a s a surprise. Nonetheless, it needs to be seen as a part of significant  and worrying  regression  on human rights in the  US and the world.

!WOW! thanks author and researcher Masood Haider.