Rights Council to guarantee the right to though noted that it only supported some housing and combat homelessness. recommendations in principle that it might However, as federal and state-level not implement, including closing the moratoriums on evictions during the Covid-19 Guantánamo Bay detention facility. pandemic began to expire in the second half In April, the government rescinded of 2021, the US Supreme Court struck down sanctions against ICC personnel imposed by efforts by the Biden administration to extend the previous administration, though it the federal moratorium on public health continued to reject ICC jurisdiction over grounds during the ongoing pandemic. alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq or Simultaneously, some state and municipal elsewhere. governments ended temporary special In October, the USA rejoined the UN measures to house those experiencing Human Rights Council, three years after the homelessness and some cities resumed or preceding administration abandoned its seat expanded the demolition of homeless on the body, and issued a standing invitation encampments. to UN Special Procedures. In November, the Members of the US Congress reintroduced UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues the Housing is a Human Right Act to address conducted a country visit to the USA, which the root causes of homelessness and was the first such mission by a UN Special transition the growing number of people Procedure since 2017. experiencing homelessness into housing and other shelter. 1. “USA: Texas violently strips away right to abortion”, 1 September FAILURE TO PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE 2. “USA: Senate must take action to protect human rights”, 1 December AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION 3. Americas: Amnesty International Submission to the United Nations The Biden administration rejoined the Paris (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants (Index: AMR 01/3658/2021), 8 February Agreement and sought to reverse hundreds 4. Pushed into Harm’s Way: Forced Returns of Unaccompanied Migrant of laws and policies passed during the Children to Danger by the USA and Mexico (Index: AMR preceding administration to deregulate the 51/4200/2021), 11 June environmental and energy sectors. Those 5. “Right the wrong: decision time on Guantánamo”, 11 January laws included the rolling back of rules on coal ash and coal-fired power plants. However, the administration did not successfully roll URUGUAY back all regressive measures and continued to approve oil drilling projects on federal land. Eastern Republic of Uruguay During 2021, frequent climate change- Head of state and government: Luis Alberto LacallePou related natural disasters across the USA resulted in destruction and death, including After initial delays, the Covid-19 record-breaking wildfires, hurricanes and vaccination programme made progress. flooding in coastal areas. Nevertheless, policies to address the INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS pandemic were not able to reverse pre- MECHANISMS AND TREATIES existing structural inequalities, which were exacerbated and had a particular impact on The Biden administration took a number of the economic, social and cultural rights of positive measures during its first year in office the most vulnerable sections of the to endorse and support the international population. Record rates of imprisonment human rights framework and oversight often resulted in inhumane prison mechanisms. conditions. The year saw the highest In March, the administration accepted the number of deaths in prison in recent majority of recommendations by the Human history. Violence against women continued Rights Council following the USA’s third UPR, to escalate, with a rise in the number of Amnesty International Report 2021/22 394