The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity dedicated to working for the empowerment of women across the globe. While the organization does a great deal of good, initiating programs of economic advancement for women and protection against violence, it sadly also advocates for abortion as part of humanitarian aid packages alongside UN partner agencies. This paradoxical stance poses a challenge for nations that applaud the work of UN Women which genuinely aids vulnerable women, but do not support its push for abortion overriding national sovereignty.
On June 23 At the UN Women Executive Board Virtual Annual Session, United States ambassador Cherith Chalet spoke boldly in defense of human rights. In a proud moment for the pro-life movement, Chalet used her allotted time meaningfully to counter areas of the Executive Director’s report which transgress international consensus to support a pro-abortion agenda:
“The United States, however, has grown increasingly frustrated with recent UN Women initiatives that appear to be motivated more by certain political agendas rather than the real and urgent needs of real women. To this end, there are several areas of the Executive Director’s report which the United States does not support.
First, we do not support the insertion of agendas or new terms that stray outside of negotiated consensus reached by Member States within the ICPD Programme of Action and its report, or the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as adopted by the General Assembly. In the Executive Director’s report references (para. 4) to “a pushback against women’s rights, including against sexual and reproductive health and rights” is not only unsupported by facts, but is also an inappropriate assertion of “rights” that do not exist. This term does not enjoy international consensus, is not found within either ICPD or Beijing, and is a term that deems access to abortion as essential. As was made clear in the consensus reached by member states with the ICPD Programme of Action, there is no international right to abortion, nor is abortion recognized as a method of family planning. There is, moreover, no duty on the part of States as donors and recipients to finance or facilitate abortion. Each nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities in support of women’s health consistent with their own laws and policies.
The United States’ statement also repeatedly affirmed the dignity of women and life at all stages.
“The United States defends human dignity, supports access to high-quality health care for women and girls across the natural lifespan, and believes in legal protections for the unborn. We continue to be a stalwart defender of all women, men, children, and families and support programs to improve their health, life, dignity, and well-being.”
The full video can be found here, with the U.S. segment at 2:03. The full statement release of the United States and of all participating bodies at the first plenary meeting can be found at unwomen.org
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