Analysis: Arrogant Western Countries Outplayed by Developing Member States at the UN

By | April 20, 2023

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the UN and Chairman of CPD56

NEW YORK, April 21 (C-Fam) The European Union and the United States were diplomatically outmaneuvered by tradition-minded countries in the recently concluded UN Commission on Population and Development.

The EU and the UN wanted to force sexual ideology for children into a resolution on education. This effort failed due to smart tactics by a united Africa group and delegates from other parts of the world.

At this year’s 56th Commission, the Biden administration, European Union, Nordics, Canada, Australia, Mexico and others felt confident they would be able to force “comprehensive sexuality education,” into the document. This has been consistently rejected since 2014 because it includes abortion and diverse sexual practices for children.

The final draft of the document was sent at 10:30 PM the night before adoption, a standard ploy of Western countries leaving little time for countries to consider the new language and to talk to their capitals back home to get instructions.

These documents are usually adopted by “consensus” where presumably everyone agrees. Rumors abounded, however, that the Moldovan chair, working with UN agencies, would allow a vote, which would essentially force the controversial language into the document.

This unusual break from procedure demonstrated the degree to which Western countries and UN agencies would go to secure a mandate for UN agencies to promote sexual autonomy and diverse gender expression around the world.

Delegations from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe convened an emergency meeting that lasted most of the night. The meeting allowed crucial coordination among the like-minded countries on what to do with the controversial paragraphs, including a new one that harmed parental rights.

The presence of high-level American officials in the conference room Friday morning indicated the confidence the Biden administration had that the document would be accepted.

Within minutes, however, control of the discussion was overtaken by the 22 conservative countries that had been mistreated throughout the 3-week negotiation.

Rather than debating the underlying issue of the controversial terms, however, delegate after delegate questioned the Moldovan chair about the unusual procedures. For the next three hours dozens of traditional countries took the floor as part of a well-executed strategy that demonstrated how the spirit of the UN had been compromised and questioned the legitimacy of the draft so the Chairman would have no other option but to withdraw it.

Countries respectfully criticized the Moldovan chair for his role in presenting a text that had clear redlines as well as his disregard for rules of procedure. Countries took issue with the text being presented less than the required 24 hours before adoption, for the inclusion of new text that had never been negotiated, and for not having the draft translated to the requisite foreign languages.

“English is not the mother tongue of all delegations,” said a delegate from Senegal, a predominantly French speaking country. “Language is subtle,” he said and repeated three times to prove translation challenges for delegates from countries where English is not the native language.

Even African countries that had splintered from the African Group and aligned with the U.S. and EU on sexuality issues joined ranks with their continent partners. South Africa asked the chairman to allow the afternoon session to try and find consensus and a delegate from Ghana retracted a statement made in support of comprehensive sexual education in the morning session.

The lack of consensus including from diverse countries took Western delegates by surprise, many pivoting to damage control to try and save the document they so desperately wanted. The Canadian ambassador took the floor opting to share a personal story on the importance of sexual education sharing how his mother reminded him to pack condoms before a trip he was taking as a 15-year-old.

The Moldovan ambassador adjourned the morning session stating it would resume at 3 PM. Consultations during the break resulted with the Chairman’s opening statement announcing the withdrawal of the document. This was a bittersweet moment for traditional countries that wanted a document on education for their children. However, it appeared the EU and the U.S. were willing to sacrifice a right to education over sexual rights.

Traditional countries remain hopeful that this latest development will foster better respect for national sovereignty and cultural differences.

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