Human Life International (HLI) Kenya/Uganda Statement on the ICPD25 Nairobi Summit

For immediate release: November 27, 2019

Contact: Deborah M. Piroch

Email: dpiroch@hli.org

(Nairobi, Kenya/Front Royal, VA)

ICPD25 Nairobi Summit a Travesty

(HLI Kenya, HLI Uganda, Front Royal, VA) – 25 years after Cairo ICPD commitments, the ICPD25 Nairobi Summit, sponsored by the governments of Denmark, Kenya and the United Nations Population Fund, was an utter travesty, employed solely to promote and support extreme pro-abortion, pro-contraceptive, and LGBTIQ+ agenda.

In contrast to the Cairo Summit, where together 179 governments and 11,000 participants rejected any such thing as a global “right” to abortion, this meeting was a vehicle to do the very opposite. The ICPD25 Nairobi Summit was tainted from the start by dishonesty, deceit and total disrespect for African nations’ sovereignty and cultural values, as organizers blocked all pro-life, pro-family individuals and organizations from online registration and attendance.

Therefore, HLI Kenya and HLI Uganda joined with the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, the Kenya Professional Christian Forum and other pro-life, pro-family entities in denouncing the forces of death, and to set straight the true needs of the African people. Thus, the HLI team worked in collaboration and supported an alternative Summit dubbed the “Vita et Familia ICPD25.” In doing so, we uphold our deeply cherished life and family values and reject any Culture of Death claims made at the ICPD25 summit, which involve racist targeting of African lives, such as terming abortion “health care.”

We note with utter shock that the Nairobi Summit final commitment dissembled in stating all nations and peoples were represented at the meeting in Nairobi to ensure rights and choices for all, this after locking out all those who disagreed with their agenda. We do not hesitate to label such language dangerous and misleading, and label it abusive to African religious freedom, which culturally treasures both life and children.

  • We reject that “sexual reproductive health and rights” (SRHR) includes “safe abortion,” which has never been accepted as a right in any U.N. document.
  • The HLI family in Africa, working together with Conferences of Bishops, commit to protecting life from conception until natural death; we condemn in the strongest terms possible any attempt to force abortion on our people. Such attempts run contrary to the wishes of the men and women of our countries and is prohibited under our legal and policy frameworks.

ICPD25 Intent Endangers African Children

The ICPD25 Nairobi Summit also promoted radical comprehensive education as a channel to distribute contraceptives to children and promote destructive gender ideology. Presenting contraception as a solution to all the problems of our young people we deem irresponsible and misleading. We note for instance that Marie Stopes International (MSI) praised this decision, just one day after the organization was ordered to recall its condoms as being substandard. [Official recall document available for inspection.]

  • We call on the Ugandan authority to launch an investigation into the activities of MSI, as the organization was surely aware lives were compromised by its condom supply and disinformation. MSI must be held to task and closed down in Uganda due to the lives it put at risk.
  • We reiterate our commitment towards protection of our children by empowering parents as most suitable persons to guide children in matters of sexuality. Children are not equipped psychologically and mentally to be manipulated by sexual “education.” Moreover, we note the Nairobi Summit makes no mention of the rights of parents in the upbringing of their children.

ICPD25 Attacks Genital Mutilation But Upholds Transgender Surgery

We are further concerned that the Nairobi Summit purports to fight Genital Mutilation or Female Genital Mutilation as unacceptable harmful practice. However, we are disturbed to note that the same U.N. agencies and its partners have never come out to condemn gender ideology and transgender habits such as Genital Mutilation of women undergoing harmful surgical procedures to mutilate their genitalia in a reconstruction bid to appear as a man. The same is true with men and boys who are supported if inclined to mutilate their genitalia for reconstruction to appear female, including hormonal manipulations/injections.

  • We find all these forms of genital mutilation harmful practices which must be condemned. Thus, we consider the term “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,” adopted at the Nairobi Summit abusive and hypocritical in its approach to issues of Genital Mutilation. We therefore denounce all forms of genital mutilation harmful and dangerous to human health and well-being, because we are all created male or female and our birth identity and sex must be protected.

In Conclusion

We highly regret that though the U.N. was founded to protect universal peace among nations, the institution fails to safeguard the most basic of human rights, that of protection of life  from the moment of conception to natural death. Moreover, we strongly contend that our needs as a people, as countries and a continent has never been expressed anywhere as abortion, contraception or so-called LGBTIQ+.  Actual unmet needs of which we are constantly aware are the following:

  1. To welcome, protect, defend and promote human life from the moment of conception until natural death;
  2. To provide an education system that ushers in development and job creation;
  3. To create health care systems, with drugs available to hospitals and medical personnel attending our sick;
  4. Make clean water accessible for all;
  5. Secure safety for all persons;
  6. Build good roads and infrastructure;
  7. And promote fair trade and equitable business opportunities with the rest of the world.

We therefore ask all U.N. member states to reject the ICPD25 listed commitments. Those commitment were solicited without member states reaching concession, and from carefully selected participants in order to market their black agenda while using ambiguous terminology, such as “sexual and “reproductive health and rights,” that do not enjoy international consensus under international law.

We remain committed to promote, protect and defend life, our families and our values and to live by our faith in God. We inform all those entities who spend billions of dollars to impose their western ideology that yes, we reject such colonization and furthermore please recognize that we have our own values, which are the foundation of our future.

 

HLI affiliate chiefs Fr. Jonathan Opio, HLI Uganda, and Fr. Samuel Gatimu, HLI Kenya, were directly involved at the event and prepared this report, based upon their findings.

Deborah M. Piroch graduated from Mount Holyoke College, the nation’s oldest women’s college, with a double major in German and English Literature. She studied abroad and earned her M.A. in English Literature from Indiana University. Fluent in German, she began her career in international journalism working for Radio Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany. Returning to the States after a three-year contract, she worked as arts reporter and producer on prime time shows for WQED-FM in Pittsburgh, then a top 20 market. After another three years, she was hired by EWTN Global Catholic Network as news director, anchor and writer for “Catholic World Today,” but soon transitioned into television. Highlights of her 15 years at EWTN include co-anchoring the U.S. March for Life with Marcus Grodi on more than one occasion, live translating the election of Pope Benedict XVI into German, interviewing two former U.S. Presidential candidates and producing Father Benedict Groeschel’s prime time program from its inception for six years. Named the Network’s first International Production Coordinator, she also proposed, budgeted and executed TV shoots in Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Most recently she served as Director of PR for Human Life International.

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