Organizations urge Dominican Government to reject Geneva Consensus amid U.S. pressure
Santo Domingo.- Social, feminist, community, labor and human rights organizations have urged the Dominican Government to maintain the country’s position since 2019 and reject any proposal to sign the Geneva Consensus Declaration, amid renewed pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
- Opposition to Abortion: The declaration explicitly states that “there is no international right to abortion” and declares that individual states have no international obligation to finance or facilitate abortion access. [1]
- National Sovereignty: It asserts that each nation holds the sovereign right to craft and implement its own laws, health programs, and social policies free from international pressure or external mandates. [1]
- The Family Unit: It emphasizes the role of the traditional family as foundational to society and a core provider of health, support, and care.
In a public statement, the organizations argue that the declaration conflicts with the Dominican Constitution, national laws and public policies, as well as international commitments on human rights, equality, health, and the rights of women and children.
They emphasized that the Geneva Consensus is a political declaration rather than a legally binding treaty. However, they warned that its principles could eventually influence public policies, regulations, government decisions, budget priorities and conditions attached to international cooperation.
The groups also expressed concern that the declaration could interfere with the constitutional separation of powers by seeking to limit certain health-related decisions to legislative processes. They stressed that each branch of government must exercise the powers assigned to it by the Constitution.
According to the manifesto, joining the declaration could also weaken international human rights protections and undermine existing commitments related to the rights of women, girls and adolescents, including those established through CEDAW, the Belém do Pará Convention and other international frameworks.
The organizations further rejected what they described as the imposition of a single model of family, emphasizing that all families should receive state protection based on dignity, equality, non-discrimination and the best interests of children.
They called on the Government to refrain from signing the declaration, respect the Constitution and separation of powers, preserve the country’s international human rights commitments, and publicly disclose any negotiations, agreements or conditions related to a possible accession.
The statement was signed by the Coalition for Women’s Rights and Life, along with feminist, social, community, labor, religious and human rights organizations and political groups from different parts of the country.
