Traditional Countries Outfox Western Powers on Gender Ideology

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NEW YORK, December 1 (C-Fam) Western countries were left fuming last week after traditional countries and China forcibly removed consideration of a resolution on gender ideology from the General Assembly committee that deals with economic development and finance.

Traditional countries successfully adopted a small but devastating amendment to a resolution about “gender mainstreaming” proposed by Mexico acting as a stalking horse of the U.S. and EU. The effect of the hostile amendment proposed by Egypt was to keep the discussion of controversial aspects of gender ideology, including abortion, homosexual and transgender issues, confined and limited to one committee of the General Assembly.

The humiliating rebuke to the U.S. and EU shows the increasing consternation by the developing world over powerful countries pushing gender ideology in all UN policy debates.

The procedural maneuver pushed any UN reports or discussion of gender mainstreaming to the third committee of the General Assembly, which deals with social and humanitarian questions, and where controversial gender issues are routinely debated.

Delegates from traditional countries who are used to being badgered into submission by overwhelming diplomatic resources from Western countries were visibly elated. They cheered and applauded when their scheme paid off and the amendment to the resolution passed with 86 votes in favor, 70 against, and 16 abstentions.

A delegate of the United Kingdom was visibly irritated by their defiance. “Do not be fooled by claims that the equality of women and girls is a priority for these delegations because their actions throughout this process—including laughing and clapping after the amendment passed, indeed, by a number of male colleagues I should add—has proved the exact opposite,” he said tersely.

He accused the countries that supported the amendment of “bad faith” and called their procedural move a “concerted attempt to rollback women’s and girl’s rights.”

A delegate of Sweden, speaking on behalf of the European Union accused traditional countries of using “procedural tricks.”

“We deplore the confusion that has been created,” she said solemnly.

A U.S. delegate said the amendment set “a troubling precedent by allowing one committee to delegate reporting to another committee.”

The harsh rhetoric of Western countries reflects their frustration at not being able to control the agenda of the second committee, especially when it comes to gender.

Traditional countries and China have a close grip on the agenda of the second committee, including on women’s issues through a bi-annual resolution on “Women and Development.” This allows them to keep out controversial issues like abortion and homosexual/trans rights that are normally debated in the third committee.

The new Mexican resolution was designed to provide Western countries with an avenue to push controversial social policies in the second committee.

A U.S. delegate betrayed that intention. “Sexual and reproductive health and rights have an inherent relation to women’s economic empowerment,” she emphasized.

Delegations who ultimately voted to refer the topic of the resolution to the third committee were weary of such controversial issues all the while.

A delegate of Indonesia accused Western countries of using UN negotiations as a “pretext to justify the lack of transparency, tolerance, and respect among countries.” He said the strong support for the Egyptian amendment was “solid proof that non-constructive push will annihilate the consensus of the women’s empowerment agenda.” He called on governments to reflect “If women’s empowerment remains to be an issue we want to garner consensus on or to push for one-sided so-called progressive narratives?”

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