Geneva Consensus Declaration

The Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family is an anti-abortion declaration cosponsored by the governments of Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Uganda, and the United States. It was signed by 34 countries on October 22, 2020.[1][2][3][4]

Document and history

Initiated by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the document is not related to the United Nations' Geneva Consensus Foundation or to other Geneva-based institutions, and was not signed in Geneva.[4] Described as "Pompeo's project",[4] the declaration was submitted by U.S. ambassador Kelly Craft to the UN General Assembly under agenda item 131 for December 2020. The U.S. position was that there is no "international right to abortion", and that the United Nations should therefore respect national laws and policies on the matter.[5]

A commitment to prevent access to abortion, where that is the position of a nation's law, is central to the declaration.[4] The signatories of the Declaration "[r]eaffirm [inter alia] that there is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion, consistent with the long-standing international consensus that each nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with their laws and policies ... ." Unlike some other international documents, the declaration is not legally binding.[6][7]

Egyptian NGO Nazra described the declaration as "an international attack on women, gender, and sexuality",[4] and Amnesty International USA said the signatories were "willingly endangering people's health and lives".[8] Critics have accused the signatories of being motivated by a desire to undermine established international institutions.[4] The Declaration's lack of legal effect has led to little change in Poland, where abortions, while now less common than in decades past, are still performed in around 25% of cases. In Belarus, some on the right, especially Belarusian Christian Democracy, have called for implementing the Declaration with more strict control of abortion, although the ruling party has done little to change the current situation. In both countries, abortion-on-demand is legal and fairly commonly practiced.[9]

On January 28, 2021, U.S. president Joe Biden removed the United States from the declaration.[10][11] The declaration was signed by Iván Duque of Colombia, but was withdrawn by Gustavo Petro shortly after taking office as president.[12] On January 17, 2023, Brazil president Lula da Silva removed Brazil from the declaration.[13]

Signatories

The declaration was signed by "ministers and high representatives of Governments" from United States,Bahrain, Belarus, Benin,Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Gambia, Georgia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Nauru, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.[14]

Criticism

Many note that most of the signatories are illiberal, authoritarian, or autocratic governments.[1][4] They point out that the governments predominantly subscribe to hard-line religious viewpoints, and some of their leaders have been accused of human rights violations.[3][4] While the declaration contains statements on women's rights and gender equality, most of the countries did not appear to take them seriously, and some are among the worst perpetrators of state-sanctioned oppression of women.[4] Many of the countries have significant problems with rape, child marriage, and sexual slavery.[4]

See also

References
  1. Borger, Julian (October 22, 2020). "US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments". The Guardian.
  2. Suliman, Adela (October 23, 2020). "U.S. joins global anti-abortion pact as Polish women protest". NBC News.
  3. Berger, M (22 October 2020). "U.S. signs international declaration challenging right to abortion and upholding 'role of the family'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. Southern, Nathan Paul; Kennedy, Lindsey (20 January 2021). "Trump's Legacy Is a Global Alliance Against Women's Rights". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  5. "Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family". United States Mission to the United Nations. December 2, 2020.
  6. Berger, M (22 October 2020). "U.S. signs international declaration challenging right to abortion and upholding 'role of the family'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  7. Southern, Nathan Paul; Kennedy, Lindsey (20 January 2021). "Trump's Legacy Is a Global Alliance Against Women's Rights". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  8. "New Declaration Tramples on Every Person's Right to Choose". Amnesty International USA. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  9. Héjj, Dominik and Michał Potocki. "Konsensus genewski: Antyaborcyjni sojusznicy z aborcją na życzenie. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, 28 Oct. 2020. Accessed 10 Feb. 2022.
  10. Biden, Joseph R (January 28, 2021). "Memorandum on Protecting Women's Health at Home and Abroad". The White House.
  11. "Biden reverses global abortion "gag rule" and expands Obamacare". BBC News. January 28, 2021.
  12. Vacía, La Silla. "Petro se retira del "Consenso de Ginebra", que lucha contra el aborto". www.lasillavacia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  13. Silva, Lula (January 17, 2023). "Desligamento do Brasil do Consenso de Genebra – Nota Conjunta do Ministério das Relações Exteriores, do Ministério da Saúde, do Ministério das Mulheres e do Ministério dos Direitos Humanos e da Cidadania". Ministério das Relações Exteriores.
  14. "A/75/626 - E - A/75/626 -Desktop". undocs.org.
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