US walks out of UN Security Council over French envoy’s ‘North Korea’ comparison

US walks out of UN Security Council over French envoy’s ‘North Korea’ comparison



France’s UN Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont speaks as the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war at UN Headquarters in New York on June 10, 2026. — AFP pic


Summary

• During a UN Security Council meeting, the United States staged a walkout in protest against French comments that likened U.S. positions on human rights to those of North Korea and other authoritarian states.
• Dan Negrea, representing the U.S., criticized France for its "disingenuous grandstanding" and defended the U.S. as a beacon of liberty.
• This incident occurred following a contentious General Assembly vote, where the U.S. stood with countries like North Korea in opposing the extension of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' term.
• France's ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont, emphasized France's commitment to the UN's role in upholding human rights and peace.

First Published: Tuesday, 28 Jul 2026 10:46 AM MYT


UNITED NATIONS, July 28 — The United States walked out of a UN Security Council meeting Monday when France’s ambassador took the floor, protesting French comments comparing the US to North Korea and other authoritarian states regarding votes on human rights.

Dan Negrea, an alternate representative to the General Assembly and a senior US delegation official, slammed what he called “disingenuous grandstanding” by Paris.


“There is a member of this council that will feign moral outrage and pretend to lecture the rest of us about every topic, whether it’s about the very conflict we’re discussing yet again today, or even those unrelated to international peace and security, like human rights,” Negrea said.


“That is why we walked out during France’s intervention” at the meeting, which focused on the war in Ukraine.


Such a walkout from the Security Council, the UN’s highest decision-making body where both France and the United States are veto-wielding permanent members, is very rare.


On Friday the United States was one of 10 countries to vote in the General Assembly against extending Volker Turk’s term as UN high commissioner for human rights, joining the ranks of North Korea, Russia and Nicaragua, among others.

“The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,” France’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva posted in English after Friday’s vote.


“Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it.”

In his remarks Monday, Negrea said: “I remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of liberty for the world. As such, we will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicized drivel.”

French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont responded to the US walkout, saying: “This year we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. And everyone knows the role France has played in that.”

He said that France is working at the UN, both in the Security Council and the General Assembly, “to preserve this institution, its independence, and its capacity to act in service of the charter, in service of human rights, and in service of peace.” — AFP