{"id":102133,"date":"2021-10-26T10:47:57","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T14:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/?p=102133"},"modified":"2021-10-26T11:33:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T15:33:28","slug":"protecting-the-pillars-the-geneva-consensus-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifamnews.com\/en\/protecting-the-pillars-the-geneva-consensus-declaration","title":{"rendered":"IOF, joined by organizations worldwide, urges nations to join Geneva Consensus Declaration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
IOF has provided the following statement to <\/em><\/strong>\nUN ambassadors in New York.<\/em><\/strong><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Protecting the Pillars: The Geneva Consensus Declaration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Historic and Timely<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
October 22, 2021, marks the first anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD)1<\/sup> by wise and courageous leaders from many nations\u201432 at the time, and soon joined by 2 others, in all2<\/sup> representing a fifth of the planet\u2019s population\u2014acting to protect their societies by protecting women\u2019s health, unborn life, national sovereignty, and the family. The signing ceremony3<\/sup> was introduced by Valerie Huber, Special Representative for Global Women\u2019s Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and architect of the GCD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today is historic! Standing together virtually are senior officials from governments representing every region of the world and more than 1.6 billion people: cabinet level ministers, ambassadors, members of Congress and Parliament, and others. We are also joined by NGOs from across the globe who are celebrating today\u2019s historic event.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
She noted that the six sponsoring countries4<\/sup> had developed the GCD to be the culmination of the Global Women\u2019s Health Summit in connection with the World Health Assembly in May 2020, but when that schedule was upended by COVID-19, the decision was made to independently launch the GCD \u201cbecause health gains for women cannot wait. Supporting the intrinsic value of the family cannot wait. Protecting life, born and unborn, and the sovereignty of nations to make their own laws on this issue, cannot wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Need to Defend<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Hosting the signing ceremony was HHS Secretary Alex Azar, who explained, \u201cThe declaration is much more than a statement of beliefs; it is a critical and useful tool to defend these principles across all United Nations bodies and at every multilateral setting using language previously agreed to by member-states of those bodies.\u201d Azar\u2019s reference to \u201cdefend\u201d alludes to the situation Huber had encountered while serving as Special Representative for Global Women\u2019s Health, as she later explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found myself on a number of occasions having to apologize to foreign officials for what they viewed as attempted \u201cideological colonization\u201d of their countries at the hands of the Clinton and Obama Administrations. Particularly in developing countries, officials privately described the intense pressure from the U.S. to abandon foundational values that defined their nations, sometimes accompanied by the threat of losing lifesaving foreign assistance if they did not relent. Private conversations with diplomats from a variety of countries revealed widespread sentiment that the U.S. would name and shame these nations simply for disagreeing with progressive Western positions on abortion or family issues. Often, the U.S. would join coalitions of progressive countries to dial up the pressure. Countries were even compelled to recall their diplomats if they defended their core beliefs in international settings too effectively.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Huber realized that what was needed was the strength of a coalition\u2014which became even more apparent on the first day of the Biden presidency, January 20, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a little startling that on inauguration day, the one policy that I saw removed from the government website was all mention of the Geneva Consensus Declaration. It wasn\u2019t something that a lot of people in the United States even knew about, and yet it was taken down so quickly. It showed me that there was really a lot of value in this coalition, and that in fact it could be effective in protecting life and protecting the family under this current administration. When you\u2019re in a coalition, it multiplies your voice, and it multiplies your ability to have an influence. It also is more of a disincentive to those doing the bullying or applying the pressure to go after so many countries at once.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Example of Guatemala<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Eight days after taking office, President Joe Biden officially withdrew the United States from the GCD on January 28, 2021. But that did not deter Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, who on October 12, 2021, signed onto the GCD in an impressive ceremony5<\/sup> showcasing his ardent support. Huber, who also spoke at the event, later extolled the president for his courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guatemala and President Giammattei deserve all of the positive press that they can get, because what they did was courageous in standing up for the values of their country. He could have just quietly signed, but instead he had a very high profile event, invited the press, invited members of his cabinet, and other leaders in the country. He was essentially saying: This is important to our country, we are not going to change our views, we are not going to give in to external pressure, and we are proud to join this coalition. I really hope that as a result of his public and courageous action, many more countries join the Geneva Consensus Declaration and coalition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Four Pillars<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Why should other countries join? In the 2020 signing ceremony, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke of the four objectives articulated in the GCD as \u201cthe pillars of this declaration.\u201d They happen also to be the pillars of every free and successful nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n