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Geneva Consensus Declaration Archives – Concerned Women for America

Geneva Consensus: Standing for Women and Girls

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Just one year ago, representatives from over thirty nations signed the Geneva Consensus Declaration; those representatives came together in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the first anniversary of the Declaration. Together they recommitted to standing together and counteracting the impositions of governments and international organizations against developing countries.

The purpose of the declaration was to bring countries together and join efforts to secure the highest attainable health standard for women and girls, to reaffirm the role of the family as the foundations of society, and to serve as a source of care and support. It also reasserted the nonexistence of the so-called ‘right’ to abortion within international law and reaffirmed the right of every nation to exercise their own national sovereignty.

At one time, the United States was one of the signatories of the Declaration. In reality, the U.S. once led this incredible effort. One of the Biden Administration’s first actions was to swiftly withdraw from this Declaration. Why? Simply because abortion was not glorified or a part of it. Nevertheless, the number of countries that have joined the declaration has grown to thirty-five because other countries see the need to come together and fight the attempts of the Biden Administration and international organizations to export their radical and liberal agenda across the world.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration is not a binding agreement itself, but the principles contained in it are. The principles stem from the international human rights treaties that have been signed and ratified by the nations. Ratification means the treaty has gone through a process in which the nation’s legislative body has agreed there are no contradictions between the treaty and their nation’s laws. This internal process guarantees respect for the principle of self-determination enshrined in the United Nations (UN) charter.

UN bodies, within the last few decades, have taken a sharp turn away from their founding principles and often misinterpret the provisions contained in treaties previously agreed upon by the countries. Signatories of the Geneva Consensus Declaration released the Declaration to bring clarity to the misintepretations of human rights law, namely the lie that there is an international “right” to abortion.

A perfect example of this grievance is general comment No. 36 in Article 6 on the right to life of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) made by the Human Rights Committee (HRC), the UN body that monitors the implementation of the ICCPR. Article 6.1 of the ICCPR states that “every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.” Despite the clarity of this provision, the HRC’s interpretation is that “states parties should not introduce new barriers and should remove existing barriers [11] that deny effective access by women and girls to safe and legal abortion.” That is to say, this committee, whose authority is limited to implementing that to which countries have agreed, intends to change the law created by countries and replace it with their own agenda.

In the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, the U.S. Congress committed the same trespass by stating in its finding that “cofre human rights treaties, ratified by the U.S., protect access to abortion.”In 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee declared that the right to life, enshrined in Article 6 of the ICCPR (above), “at a minimum requires governments to provide safe, legal, and effective access to abortion …”

Similarly, developed countries use international forums like the ones listed above to impose abortion on developing nations by pushing for inclusion of new terms that include abortion, terms such as “sexual and reproductive health and rights.” For instance, during a UN Human Rights Council 43 session last year, the U.K. stated its regret because El Salvador had rejected its recommendation to “review laws criminalizing the use of abortion, ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services and support for all women and girls.”

No committee nor country has been granted authority to create a new obligation upon which countries have not agreed; in doing so, they are eroding each country’s sovereignty. This is another part of what the Geneva Consensus Declaration is – defending the right of the people to choose the laws that will rule their country; without it, democracy is in vain.

In the international community, there is no consensus on abortion, but there is a consensus on the importance of protecting each individual’s right to life. There is a consensus on protecting womens’ and girls’ rights. There is a consensus on national sovereignty and why it should be respected.

Concerned Women for America cares for all of these issues: life, women’s rights, national sovereignty, and particularly, the unborn. We are proud the U.S. once led such an extraordinary effort to protect all of the above. CWA will keep supporting, nationally and internationally, every effort that will promote and protect the dignity of all human life, born and unborn.

Global Pro-Life Leadership Will Carry On in Geneva Consensus Declaration

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By Doreen Denny, Vice President of Government Relations.

Protecting the sanctity of human life on the global stage was among the first acts of the Trump Administration and is set to become a lasting achievement. During his first days in office, President Trump expanded the Mexico City Policy as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance in an Executive Order. His administration pursued a rulemaking to help secure these protections. While we can anticipate hostile action by the new administration, the fruitful effort of the Trump Administration coalescing nations to commit to policies that promote life and human flourishing will undercut their premise for any “stroke of the pen” retractions of pro-life policy in U.S. global health assistance going forward.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration initiated by the United States with co-sponsors Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda, and co-signed by 28 additional countries provides an indelible legacy, even if a new administration seeks to reverse course. The joint declaration of October 22, 2020, Promoting Women’s Health and Strengthening the Family, asserts the commitment of coalition nations working together to promote better health care for women, protect human life, strengthen the family unit as the foundation of society, and declare every nation’s sovereignty in global politics. By “reaffirming the inherent dignity and worth of the human person,” the Geneva Consensus Declaration underscores every nation’s sovereign right to push back international abortion ideology and pass their own laws regarding abortion.

In December 2020, the U.S government, on behalf of supporting countries, officially filed the pro-life Geneva Consensus Declaration with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, instructed the Secretary-General to circulate  the declaration with member states as part of the official record of the General Assembly ”inviting all Member States to sign the declaration.”

The declaration has now been issued as an official document of the United Nations and translated into all six official UN languages. This action ensures that the Geneva Consensus Declaration and the good work of the Trump Administration will continue on the world stage, giving other UN member states the opportunity to embrace the declaration, even if U.S. leadership should falter.

As President Trump stated at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly, “Americans will never tire of defending innocent life. We are aware that many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life. Like many nations here today, we in America believe that every child born and unborn is a sacred gift from God.”

Over 76 percent of Americans continue to oppose American taxpayer dollars supporting abortion in other countries. Abortion that destroys innocent human life is not healthcare and should not be promoted as a legitimate form of family planning. There is no international right to abortion, nor any international obligation to finance or facilitate abortion. Every nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with its own laws and policies. They should be able to preserve human dignity as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Consensus Declaration, not be bullied by pro-abortion nations.

Please join CWA in praying for the incoming administration to stand for life: Lord, we beseech You for the future direction of our country and pray that the United States government will continue to stand for the dignity and worth of every human life.

Geneva Consensus Aims to Protect the Sanctity of Life

By | International, Legislative Updates, News and Events, Sanctity of Life | No Comments

By Amy Lidell, Intern for Concerned Women for America

The fight for life continues as the United States has come together with Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda to form the Geneva Consensus Declaration. The virtual signing of this consensus took place on October 22, 2020, to commemorate the commitment of these nations working together to promote better health care for women, preserve human life, strengthen the family unit as the foundation of society, and protect every nation’s sovereignty in global politics. It is every nation’s sovereign right to push back international abortion ideology and pass their own laws regarding abortion.

President Donald Trump, a strong defender of human life, warned the United Nations to stay within its mandate at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly Speech stating, “Americans will never tire of defending innocent life. We are aware that many United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life. Like many nations here today, we in America believe that every child born and unborn, is a sacred gift from God.”

Over 76 percent of Americans oppose American taxpayer dollars supporting abortion in other countries. Abortion is not healthcare and is not a legitimate form of family planning. There is only an international right to life. No multilateral organizations should use their power and influence to pressure any country to include or exclude abortion in their national policies. This allows each nation to determine its own path in preserving human dignity, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In connection with the Trump Administration’s Protecting Life in Global Health Policy, the Geneva Consensus seeks to build a global coalition to promote women’s health while protecting unborn life and strengthening the family. Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) works in conjunction with this policy by restricting funding for organizations abroad that promote or perform abortion.

Although US contractors and subcontractors are not subject to PLGHA (also known as the Mexico City policy), they are held to ensure the compliance of any foreign subcontractors. The Trump Administration has proposed a rule to clarify this responsibility and to expand the terms of PLGHA to cover all international health program contracts, in addition to the global health assistance grants and cooperative agreements under current policy. You can join in commenting in support of this Mexico City Policy Rule at our Action Center by clicking here. The deadline for comments is November 13, 2020.

Progress abounds in the fight for life. We encourage you to continue to pray for wisdom and clarity for our international leaders to continue to step up and find ways to continue to preserve national sovereignty and the individual’s right to life.