[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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