Valerie Huber: ‘A Nation That Arrives at a Negotiation Alone Is Outmatched’

Trump Administration Revives Geneva Consensus Declaration, Moves Secretariat to U.S.

Within his first month in office, President Donald Trump rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a women's health treaty drafted during his first administration. Last week, the State Department and Department of Health and Human Services announced the GCD's secretariat would be moved from Hungary to the United States.

The Geneva Consensus Declaration began as an effort to push back against what former Trump administration official and President of the Institute for Women's Health Valerie Huber saw as an ideological approach to international women's health. Five years later, the coalition is being revived by the Trump administration as part of a foreign policy effort that places national sovereignty and country-led priorities at the center of America's engagement abroad.

Huber, who served as U.S. special representative for global women's health during Trump's first administration, helped establish the Geneva Consensus Declaration in 2020 alongside Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda.

Huber grew the coalition out of her experience working with developing countries seeking to improve health outcomes, arguing that these countries faced pressure to adopt policies on social issues in exchange for foreign aid.

Huber approached countries that were applying said pressure and proposed a compromise: nations could work together on improving women's health while allowing individual governments to determine their own policies. When that approach failed to gain support, she turned to countries facing the pressure directly.

Leaders in developing countries, she said, were effectively being asked to choose between accepting assistance their populations needed and maintaining policies consistent with their own values.

The result was the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a nonbinding political declaration built around four principles: promoting women's health, affirming that there is no international right to abortion, strengthening the family, and preserving national sovereignty.

Biden Administration Withdrawal and Criticism

The Biden administration withdrew the U.S. from the declaration and expressed concern that the GCD undermines UN multilateral efforts to advance gender equality. Doctors Without Borders criticized the declaration for distorting international agreements on health and human rights. The GCD states "In no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning." Critics noted that signatories include Iraq, South Sudan, and Saudi Arabia.

Huber's Vision for a Core Group at the UN

Valerie Huber is now the president and CEO of The Institute for Women's Health (IWH), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on women's health, maternal health, family strengthening, and international development programs.

In an interview, Huber discussed the creation of a pro-life and pro-family Core Group supported by several member states at the United Nations.

Asked why there is a need for such a group, Huber said, "The need for these nations to coordinate is real, and the time is ripe for it. What form that coordination takes is less important than ensuring it takes place! A core group, a caucus, a standing consultation ahead of key negotiations — the mechanism matters far less than the intention behind it. It is most important to make sure that whatever mechanism is chosen, that it actually serves them."

Huber pointed to the Geneva Consensus Declaration as the substantive basis for the effort. The GCD was initiated under President Trump's leadership and signed on October 22, 2020, alongside regional co-founders Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda.

Its signatories commit to four things: advancing better health for women and girls; affirming that there is no international right to abortion; strengthening the family; and preserving national sovereignty.

The GCD coalition now stands at 41 nations representing about two billion people. The United States currently serves as secretariat. GCD signatories are Christian, Muslim, and secular across five continents.

Huber also mentioned the Protego framework, which has four pillars: health, education, legal, and diplomacy. She acknowledged tension between sovereignty and human rights.

Broader Context

The revival of the GCD reflects the Trump administration's broader "America First" foreign policy approach. The movement of the secretariat to the U.S. underscores Washington's renewed leadership role in the coalition.

While supporters, including Huber, view the GCD as a way to protect national sovereignty and promote women's health without imposing ideological policies, critics argue it undermines multilateral efforts and distorts international agreements. The declaration's affirmation of no international right to abortion remains a point of contention among human rights and health organizations.

The establishment of a pro-life and pro-family Core Group at the UN, as envisioned by Huber, could further solidify the presence of these principles in international forums. Whether such a group gains traction remains to be seen, but Huber's experience with the GCD suggests she has the expertise to navigate multilateral negotiations.