Joint Submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of the United States of America: Rights to Education, Free Expression, Opinion, and Non-Discrimination

Ahead of the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the US, scheduled for November 2025, PEN International and PEN America submitted a report on the violations of the rights to freedom of expression, education, and non-discrimination. The submission documents both state-level and federal actions that contribute to censorship in education: attacks on institutional autonomy, curriculum restrictions, dismantling of DEI programs, and educational gag orders. The report underscores the disproportional impact of such measures on students of color, women, LGBTQI+ persons, people with disabilities, and those from low-income families. (This past August, the Trump administration withdrew its participation in the upcoming UPR.)