UN Rejects “Sexual Rights” in Lead Up to Cairo Anniversary

By Wendy Wright | 2014

NEW YORK, April 18 (C-FAM) A UN official accused countries of opposing women after they failed to accept specific rights for men who have sex with men (MSM) at a UN commission last week.

When it became clear that the UN Commission on Population and Development would again avoid sexual rights, Babatunde Osotimehin told reporters countries were objecting to women’s rights.

The “pushback” on sexual rights, said the head of the UN Population Fund, is because countries “conflate it” with accepting men who have sex with men (MSM).

Why do they “think that every time we’re talking about rights we’re talking about LGBT rights?” he told the AP, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.

However, governments undermined his attempt to frame the dispute as a war on women when they bitterly complained the final resolution avoided MSM as the commission concluded early Saturday morning after an all-night session.

Sexual rights “is close to our heart,” said Norway lamenting that the document did not advance sexual issues. Others echoed this, including the Philippines who chastised countries with a traditional view of the family.

Yet many countries worried the resolution addressed sexual and reproductive issues to the detriment of pressing development priorities.

“We don’t share the view” that sexual and reproductive rights are the “only or most important elements to sustain development,” said Indonesia.

The resolution is “heavily skewed” towards the “peculiar interests” of certain wealthy countries, and not the actual priorities of developing nations, said the Holy See.

Belarus pointed out the family is central to development.

Delegates were angry at 5:00 a.m. when the chairman presented a final resolution. Many thought there should not even have been negotiations at this year’s commission.

Instead, early drafts promoted abortion and sexual rights. To delegates it seemed the chairman and UN officials were trying to re-negotiate policies settled by the General Assembly. Eventually, the chair backtracked and the UN Population Fund was told in the resolution to stay “within its mandate.”

The commission this year observed the 20th anniversary of the 1994 UN Cairo development agreement.

UN Population Fund held regional meetings to build momentum for sexual rights and abortion rights. Many countries distanced themselves from these conferences. The controversy was felt in New York. The resolution merely took note that the regional conferences took place, without endorsing their outcomes.

However, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, and other Pacific islands—normally silent on social policy debates because of their conservative laws and Christian culture— vocally supported abortion and sexual rights.

Dozens of sexual rights activists, some on delegations, were brought to New York. Kate Gilmore, a high-ranking UN Population Fund official, rallied them.

“We don’t want you all becoming nice diplomats,” she said at a youth event at UN headquarters. “On the contrary, you should be occupying the United Nations.”

They were met by pro-life advocates who gave official statements pointing out abortion does not improve maternal health or a country’s development. One youth group created memes for social media with multiple–choice questions over pictures of girls in developing countries. They asked:

 “What this young girl needs most is:

  1. a) A law to protect her from early child marriage
  2. b) Comprehensive sexuality education?”

 “These displaced persons most need:

  1. a) A permanent home
  2. b) An abortion clinic?”

In the end, countries reaffirmed the right to decide their laws, and respect for religious beliefs and culture.

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