The broken chair versus an empty seat

The year 1948 marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. It is a document that enshrines the idea that the dignity and rights of every human being must be respected, and lays the foundation of modern human rights governance. Several decades later, the international human rights cause is facing unusual challenges.

The "Broken Chair" statute that stands in the center of international Geneva is a powerful reminder of the city's rich humanitarian tradition. Geneva is widely regarded as a vibrant global hub for diplomacy and international cooperation. Home to the European headquarters of the UN and over 40 international organizations, it hosts thousands of meetings annually and sets the scene for many important diplomatic actions.

This seems no longer a given. Since February 2025, the United States has taken a sharply reduced posture toward funding for and participation in the UN and its specialized agencies.

In July, the US declared its withdrawal from the UNESCO, and halted contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, citing "anti-Israel" bias and alleged terrorist links.

In the same vein, the US notified the World Health Organization of its intention to withdraw by January 2026 and suspended future funding, which represents around 18 percent of the organization's budget. Other bodies, including the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Labor Organization — the oldest human rights organization according to Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, have reported severe funding shortfall, resource gaps and massive layoff and restructuring programs in order to survive the shock.

The implications are profound. The funding cuts to the UN system and its humanitarian arms are consequential for aid operations worldwide, and necessitate tough decisions about what aid can continue. Development projects, life-saving humanitarian services, maternal and reproductive health, child protection, refugee services, counter-trafficking, global health programs — a lot is at stake yet hangs by a thin thread. One UN relief official observed that programs were "shutting down, staff are being laid off… For the people we serve, these cuts are a matter of survival."

An empty seat: The party concerned never showed up

In November, the US — a founding member of the United Nations and a self-proclaimed champion of human rights — did not show up for the mandatory Universal Periodic Review of its rights records as it had declared in August, leaving behind an empty seat and widespread frustration.

Earlier in February, the White House put out a statement saying that the US will withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council, and that the office of United States Representative to the UNHRC shall be terminated, though, ironically, the country was not a member of the council in the first place. It was not the first time the US walked away from the council. In June 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the rights body, citing council's "chronic bias" against Israel as one of the primary reasons for the retreat. It was not until 2021, after a new US administration took office, that the US reversed its decision and rejoined the council. It appears that the US is treating its participation in the rights body not as moral obligation, but a game only worth playing while in the upper hand.

The UPR, a peer review process through which states evaluate one another's human rights records, is deemed as the council's most universal, non-selective mechanism that is widely recognized and participated by all 193 member states of the UN. Historically, the UPR had seen almost 100 percent participation. Even after its 2018 retreat, the US still received its fourth UPR review in 2020. Several incidents of postponements or absence had been registered due to capacity issues, etc., but a full disengagement from the UPR is entirely new territory.

Watchers worry that the US could be setting a dangerous precedent of non-cooperation, emboldening other member states to follow suit in flouting the human rights mechanisms and other international norms as a whole.

What now?

Amid the shocks and disturbances, however, not all hope is lost in Geneva. At 80 years, the UN is adapting itself to the new reality. In March 2025, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN80 Initiative, which aims to enhance operational efficiency, review mandate implementation, and explore structural reforms along with program realignment. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the UN system's capacity to absorb and respond to funding shortfalls by streamlining processes, eliminating duplication, and maximizing the impact of available resources.

As former UN secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld famously observed, "The UN was not created to bring humanity to a Utopian 'heaven,' but rather to prevent it from a catastrophic 'hell'." For the past 80 years, the UN has helped prevent large-scale wars through diplomacy while advancing human development worldwide by promoting peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights.

China, on its part, is taking a leading role on initiatives such as contribution of development to the enjoyment of human rights, economic, social and cultural rights, women's rights, and accessibility for all. Mere criticism does not have a standing power. At this inflection point of multilateralism, it's high time to reflect, and then act.

Hua Gesheng is a commentator on international and multilateral affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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