Western Countries Opposed “the Family” in UN Negotiations This Week

By | July 18, 2024

NEW YORK, July 19 (C-Fam) A single reference to “the family” in a UN negotiation this week set off a firestorm of criticism from rich Western countries.

The debate came during negotiations related to a package of documents to be presented at a conference called The UN Summit on the Future this September.

The debate pitted powerful Western countries versus traditional countries from the Global South.

The declaration is meant to address the need and interests of generations to come but mentioning the role of the family within the confines of the document is proving to be a challenging task.

After initial consultations, traditional member states and pro-family organizations questioned the credibility of a document on future generations that does not speak of the family unit. As a result of the pressure, the lead negotiators from Jamaica and the Netherlands added language recognizing “the role of families as contributors to sustainable development.” That one reference set off vigorous debate.

Much of the debate was over how each side viewed family as singular or plural.

The U.K. delegate said they preferred to delete the paragraph on the family altogether but if it is to be kept, they insisted, the plural version of “families” was the only acceptable format.

For Mexico, retaining the plural form “families” was important because it recognizes that all family structures “are valid and supported [which] is crucial to foster inclusive societies.”

Switzerland said it “still has some issues with the family reference” due to “inequalities within families [that] affect women’s wellbeing and lead to violence against women and girls” and that it could only accept the reference if it is maintained in the plural version of “families” and if language is added to ensure women’s rights are protected. The U.S., Canada, and Ukraine supported the Swiss suggestion.

Joining the other statements opposing the reference to “the family”, a Ukrainian delegate suggested that the term is too vague saying, “We cannot speak of concepts. We are trying to find solutions for future generations.”

Western countries oppose references to the family in the singular because it reflects the language in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and binding human rights treaties about the natural family as “the natural and fundamental group unit of society”, understood as formed when a man and a woman freely choose to marry and create a family. Progressive countries view this terminology as outdated and non-inclusive of “different forms of the family,” including same-sex unions.

Egypt, Russia, Syria, Iran, Cameroon, Pakistan, Holy See, Algeria, Senegal, and Saudi Arabia all defended the family language from international law.

Russia said, “It would be better to put the word families in singular as ‘the family’”, defending its role as a safe environment where people are cared for. “It is not about the different types of the family”, the delegate continued.

A delegate from Syria defended the term “the family” as referring to “the family that we all know.” He insisted, “I don’t believe that we need to compromise to keep the family because it has been there for over 75 years and even as a concept, the family is the family that we have always been supporting.”

While the text is still under negotiations, the two co-facilitators, Jamaica and the Netherlands, said they hope to reach a final version of the text that member states can agree on by July 19.

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