The United States says it will not seek a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for the second straight year, saying it is not a "credible" body.
A State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Tuesday the council has had a selective bias against Israel while ignoring pressing human rights issues in countries like Burma and North Korea.
He says the United States will maintain its observer status on the 47-nation council.
U.S. officials say the new Human Rights agency, reconfigures last year as part of a broader UN reform program, has been a major disappointment.
The United States says the council does not exclude countries considered chronic human rights violators.
Human rights groups say China, Cuba, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan were among countries elected to the council last year which did not deserve to be members.
Information for this report is provided by AP and Reuters.
