US walks out of UN Security Council meeting during France's remarks
The US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in protest after France compared US human rights voting patterns to those of authoritarian regimes. The diplomatic friction follows the US opposition to the reappointment of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Why it matters
Reflects growing tensions between the US and international bodies regarding human rights oversight and funding.
Figure caption, Watch: US accuses France of 'disingenuous grandstanding' at UN
The US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, in protest at comments made by France that compared Washington's voting on human rights to that of authoritarian states.
The diplomatic row was initially sparked last week, when the US joined North Korea and Russia in voting against extending Volker Turk's term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
After the vote on Friday, France's UN mission criticised the US and compared it to North Korea and Russia. "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore," it posted on X , external .
In response, US ambassador Mike Waltz accused France of voting for a human rights chief who had been "lecturing" democratic countries while "cozying up to the world's worst oppressors", without elaborating on what he meant.
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