Geneva  - A representative of the United States addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council Wednesday for the first time since it pulled out of the body in the middle of last year.

The address was made following a pledge from Washington to re-engage with the council, which the previous administration of George W Bush shunned towards the end of his term.

The US "pledges to work alongside all those working in good faith to promote and protect the human rights of every person around the world," said the statement by Mark Storella, from the US Mission to Geneva.

Storella noted that the US still had qualms on a number of issues, including concerns about politicization of human rights and the "singling out of one country," a reference to Israel.

He also said that the council had so far failed to address some of the most severe cases of human rights violations in the world.

He made the statement during the tenth session of the council, which began earlier this week and will continue until the 27th of the month.

While the US was again participating as an observer it has not said it would try to obtain membership status in the 47 member council. The US would also likely boycott the upcoming conference against racism in Geneva at the end of next month.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to arrive in Geneva for talks with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday. (dpa)