"The secretary-general would have much preferred for the United States to remain in the Human Rights Council," Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesman, said in a note to correspondents. "The UN's Human Rights architecture plays a very important role in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.

The Human Rights Council not only seeks to promote and protect human rights, but also addresses alleged rights violations and makes recommendations on them.

It's a forum for discussing all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention, throughout the year.     The members are elected by the UN General Assembly.

In his comments, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called the U.S. withdrawal from the Human Rights Council "disappointing, if not really surprising."

"Given the state of Human Rights in today's world, the U.S. should be stepping up, not stepping back," High Commissioner Zeid said on Twitter.

Washington's withdrawal is the latest US rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

It also comes as the United States faces intense criticism for detaining children separated from their immigrant parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein on Monday called on Washington to halt its "unconscionable" policy.

Rights groups have criticized the Trump administration for not making human rights a priority in its foreign policy. Critics say this sends a message that the administration turns a blind eye to human rights abuses in some parts of the world.