By Peter Smith
For the first time in 30 years a document ( Ref 1 ) was negotiated and there was no mention of reproductive health ( code words to include abortion) . Sadly, there was no mention of motherhood, nor family.
Many countries and feminist NGOs lamented lack of financial assistance. Mr Trump’s best buddy Elon Musk , having abolished USAID, is also cutting funding to radical NGO types. So next year there will be a lot less people at CSW.
Another moan was from pro-abortion countries that there was push back on sexual and reproductive rights. There has always been push back on this but now the leader of the free world is helping with the push back.
Belarus spoke for the “Friends of the family” group, which comprises 31 countries See Ref 2. Chile spoke on behalf of the LGBTI core group at the UN , see Ref 3.
The prize for the worst NGO goes to ‘Catholics for choice’. These fools were active 25 years ago, but here they were back again demanding that the Holy See be thrown out of the U.N. An NGO should loose its accreditation for this sort of thing. It is forbidden for accredited NGOs to attack member states at the U.N.
Many countries and feminist NGOs were demanding the next Secretary |General of the U.N to be a woman. Did not hear a call for more lady bricklayers nor diesel mechanics.
Fortunately a lot of countries followed the lead of the US by stating that gender means male and female, just biology. The pro-life/pro-family NGOs have lobbied on this for 30 years. The Beijing conference was the first time the poison word gender was used in U.N. documents.
Again, Mark den Hollander led a group of Hillsdale College undergraduates to CSW. I gave them a briefing about the UN via zoom. I also arranged via a friend for them to meet two good ambassadors. See Mark’s article at Ref 4.
Please pray for world leaders.
Peter Smith represents CCI at the UN in New York
References
Ref 1. https://docs.un.org/en/E/CN.6/2025/L.1
Ref 3 : https://search.app/NH6PBcJjy6mPxUwb8
Ref 4 : https://www.christiancouncilinternational.org/news/opinion/2025/new-sheriff-doesnt-mean-fight-over