[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 190 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7457-S7458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GENEVA CONSENSUS DECLARATION

  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, this month marks the first anniversary of 
the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and 
Strengthening the Family. The historic coalition that issued this 
declaration was formed by a diverse group of countries committed to 
advancing women's health, protecting life at every stage while 
affirming that there is no international right to abortion, upholding 
the importance of the family as foundational to society, and defending 
the sovereign right of Nations to make their own laws to advance these 
core values, without external pressure. The Geneva Consensus 
Declaration was signed on October 22, 2020, by 32 countries from every 
region of the world, representing more than 1,600,000,000 people, which 
committed to working together on the core pillars enshrined in the 
declaration, and five countries have subsequently signed. Although 
President Biden removed the United States as a signatory to the Geneva 
Consensus Declaration earlier this year, at least temporarily, the 
coalition is alive and growing, currently consisting of 36 countries.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the text of 
this landmark document and the names of the 36 signatory countries.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and 
                        Strengthening the Family

       We, ministers and high representatives of Governments,
       Having intended to gather on the margins of the 2020 World 
     Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland to review progress 
     made and challenges to uphold the right to the highest 
     attainable standards of health for women; to promote women's 
     essential contribution to health, and strength of the family 
     and of a successful and flourishing society; and to express 
     the essential priority of protecting the right to life, 
     committing to coordinated efforts in multilateral fora; 
     despite our inability to meet in Geneva due to the global 
     COVID-19 pandemic, in solidarity, we
       1. Reaffirm ``all are equal before the law,'' and ``human 
     rights of women are an inalienable, integral, and indivisible 
     part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms'';
       2. Emphasize ``the equal right of men and women to the 
     enjoyment of all civil and political rights,'' as well as 
     economic, social, and cultural rights; and the ``equal 
     rights, opportunities and access to resources and equal 
     sharing of responsibilities for the family by men and women 
     and a harmonious partnership between them are critical to 
     their wellbeing and that of their families''; and that 
     ``women and girls must enjoy equal access to quality 
     education, economic resources, and political participation as 
     well as equal opportunities with men and boys for employment, 
     leadership and decision-making at all levels;''
       3. Reaffirm the inherent ``dignity and worth of the human 
     person,'' that ``every human being has the inherent right to 
     life,'' and the commitment ``to enable women to go safely 
     through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the 
     best chance of having a healthy infant'';
       4. Emphasize that ``in no case should abortion be promoted 
     as a method of family planning'' and that ``any measures or 
     changes related to abortion within the health system can only 
     be determined at the national or local level according to the 
     national legislative process'';
       5. Reaffirm that ``the child . . . needs special safeguards 
     and care . . . before as well as after birth'' and ``special 
     measures of protection and assistance should be taken on 
     behalf of all children,'' based on the principle of the best 
     interest of the child; Reaffirm that ``the family is the 
     natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled 
     to protection by society and the State''; that ``motherhood 
     and childhood are entitled to

[[Page S7458]]

     special care and assistance,'' that ``women play a critical 
     role in the family'' and women's ``contribution to the 
     welfare of the family and to the development of society'';
       6. Recognize that ``universal health coverage is 
     fundamental for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 
     related not only to health and well-being,'' with further 
     recognition that ``health is a state of complete physical, 
     mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of 
     disease or infirmity'' that ``the predominant focus of 
     healthcare systems on treating illness rather than 
     maintaining optimal health also prevents a holistic 
     approach''; and that there are ``needs that exist at 
     different stages in an individual's lifespan,'' which 
     together support optimal health across the life course, 
     entailing the provision of the necessary information, skills, 
     and care for achieving the best possible health outcomes and 
     reaching full human potential; and
       7. ``Reaffirm the importance of national ownership and the 
     primary role and responsibility of governments at all levels 
     to determine their own path towards achieving universal 
     health coverage, in accordance with national contexts and 
     priorities'', preserving human dignity and all the rights and 
     freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human 
     Rights.
       Furthermore, we, the representatives of our sovereign 
     nations do hereby declare in mutual friendship and respect, 
     our commitment to work together to:
       Ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and equal 
     opportunity for women at all levels of political, economic, 
     and public life;
       Improve and secure access to health and development gains 
     for women, including sexual and reproductive health, which 
     must always promote optimal health, the highest attainable 
     standard of health, without including abortion;
       Reaffirm that there is no international right to abortion, 
     nor any international obligation on the part of States to 
     finance or facilitate abortion, consistent with the long-
     standing international consensus that each nation has the 
     sovereign right to implement programs and activities 
     consistent with their laws and policies;
       Build our health system capacity and mobilize resources to 
     implement health and development programs that address the 
     needs of women and children in situations of vulnerability 
     and advance universal health coverage;
       Advance supportive public health policies for women and 
     girls as well as families, including building our healthcare 
     capacity and mobilizing resources within our own countries, 
     bilaterally, and in multilateral fora;
       Support the role of the family as foundational to society 
     and as a source of health, support, and care; and
       Engage across the UN system to realize these universal 
     values, recognizing that, individually we are strong, but 
     together we are stronger.


                        Member State Signatories

       1. Kingdom of Bahrain
       2. Republic of Belarus
       3. Republic of Benin
       4. Federative Republic of Brazil (cosponsor)
       5. Burkina Faso
       6. Republic of Cameroon
       7. Republic of the Congo
       8. Democratic Republic of the Congo
       9. Republic of Djibouti
       10. Arab Republic of Egypt (cosponsor)
       11. Kingdom of Eswatini
       12. Republic of The Gambia
       13. Georgia
       14. Republic of Guatemala
       15. Republic of Haiti
       16. Hungary (cosponsor)
       17. Republic of Indonesia (cosponsor)
       18. Republic of Iraq
       19. Republic of Kenya
       20. State of Kuwait
       21. State of Libya
       22. Republic of Nauru
       23. Republic of Niger
       24. Sultanate of Oman
       25. Islamic Republic of Pakistan
       26. Republic of Paraguay
       27. Republic of Poland
       28. Republic of Qatar
       29. Russian Federation
       30. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
       31. Republic of Senegal
       32. Republic of South Sudan
       33. Republic of Sudan
       34. Republic of Uganda (cosponsor)
       35. United Arab Emirates
       36. Republic of Zambia

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