Applying the Siljander Amendment to the UN System
The U.S. State Department announced reduction in U.S. contributions to human rights bodies connected to the Organization of American States on March 26, 2019, for violations of the Siljander Amendment, which forbids the use of American contributions to lobby for or against abortion.
Policy Papers
What is feminist foreign policy?
This issue of Definitions explores the way feminist foreign policy has been conducted thus far, examines how it has been framed by its creators and proponents, and considers the impact it has already had thus far.
Definitions
The UN Human Rights System’s Stillbirth Scandal
Every day around the world, 800 women and 7,000 children die in childbirth. This is tragic, and rightfully their deaths have garnered attention at the highest levels. Yet 7,100 more children are stillborn every day to devastated parents, but they have been erased from the international agenda. This brief paper examines one of the United Nations entities responsible.
Definitions
The Link between Gender-Based Violence Response and Abortion
Violence against women and girls, whether perpetrated in the home, the workplace, at school, in public spaces, or during times of war or crisis, leaves devastating effects on survivors and their families.
Definitions
Hope for Human Rights: Why the UN General Assembly Must Address Treaty Body Overreach
The UN General Assembly has negotiated and approved ten human rights treaties since the UN system was founded seventy-five years ago. Each treaty establishes a “treaty body” or “monitoring committee” of between twelve and twenty-four experts, tasked by the terms of their respective treaty to monitor and report on the efforts of States to implement the treaties. These treaty bodies have been at the forefront of promoting abortion as a human right, LGBTQI+ rights, sexual autonomy for children, and other divisive policies, all under the rubric of human rights.
Definitions
What does “unintended pregnancy” really mean and why does it matter?
INTRODUCTION The “sexual revolution” of the late 1960s in the United States and Europe was based on the idea that the link between sex and pregnancy is opt-in rather than…
Definitions
What is UN Development Reform and Why Should We Care?
Since 2017, members of the United Nations organization have been debating and adopting measures to reform the UN development system. The process, like many other UN reform efforts before it, is ostensibly meant to increase the efficiency and responsiveness of UN agencies and programs, but that is not the full picture.
Definitions
What is the real purpose of the Helms Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act?
INTRODUCTION In 1973, the United States Supreme Court decided, in Roe v. Wade, to strike down all laws protecting unborn children from abortion throughout the country. That same year, Congress moved to…
Definitions
What is the “unfinished business” of the ICPD?
INTRODUCTION Twenty-five years ago, national leaders, UN representatives, and members of civil society met in Cairo, Egypt for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). The resulting Programme of…
Definitions
What is the Universal Periodic Review?
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a relatively new UN human rights mechanism. In its ten-year tenure it has provided a forum for nations to review each other’s human rights records, with input from civil society.
Definitions
