President Donald Trump has reentered the White House with goals to reshape U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing an 'America First' approach. Within his first month in office, he rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD), a women's health treaty initially drafted during his first administration. Recently, the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services announced the relocation of the GCD's secretariat from Hungary to the United States.
The Geneva Consensus Declaration aims to counter what Valerie Huber, a former Trump administration official and President of the Institute for Women’s Health, describes as an ideological approach to international women's health. The coalition, which includes countries like Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda, focuses on promoting women's health, protecting human life, recognizing the family as foundational to society, and affirming the sovereign right of nations to set their own laws and policies.
The declaration does not impose legal changes on signatories but seeks to create a diplomatic stance that challenges international consensus on issues such as abortion. Huber emphasizes that the GCD's significance lies in enabling countries to develop their own policies rather than adopting externally imposed ones.
The Biden administration withdrew the U.S. from the declaration shortly after taking office, citing concerns that it undermines UN efforts to advance gender equality. Critics, including Doctors Without Borders, have raised concerns about the declaration's implications for patient-centered sexual and reproductive health services.
The GCD explicitly states that abortion should not be promoted as a method of family planning and that policies should be determined at the national or local level. Huber acknowledges the tension between sovereignty and human rights but maintains that the GCD is designed to address both aspects. She argues that the coalition's durability should not rely on any single U.S. president or political party.