Donald Trump 'set to pull United States out of UN Human Rights Council'

Donald Trump is poised to pull the US out of the United Nations Human Rights Council in his latest shun of an international institution

An announcement about the move is expected to be made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is expected on Tuesday.

The US is half-way through a three-year term on the main UN rights body and had long threatened to quit if it was not reformed, accusing the 47-member Geneva-based body of being anti-Israel.

The withdrawal from the council would be the latest in rejection of multilateral engagement after it pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and then the Iran nuclear deal.

It also comes as Mr Trump faces intense and widespread criticism over an immigration policy that involves detaining children separately from their immigrant parents at the US-Mexico border.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein on Monday called on Washington to halt its "unconscionable" policy.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric declined to comment until a US decision was announced, but added: "The Secretary-General is a strong believer in the human rights architecture of the U.N. and the active participation of all states."

Ms Haley said a year ago that Washington was reviewing its membership and called for reform and elimination of a "chronic anti-Israel bias."

The body has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories that Washington wants removed.

"The UN Human Rights Council has played an important role in such countries as North Korea, Syria, Myanmar and South Sudan, but all Trump seems to care about is defending Israel," said Human Rights Watch executive director Ken Roth.

The council last month voted to probe killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only "no" votes. Israel's ambassador in Geneva castigated the council for "spreading lies against Israel."

Additional reporting by Reuters.