The United States is set to take the lead in the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an international agreement focused on promoting women’s health, strengthening families, and affirming the protection of human life.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that the U.S. would serve as secretariat of the declaration, with the effort housed in the Office of Global Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The two secretaries also praised Hungary for its stewardship of the declaration after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement under former President Joe Biden.
“Hungary has faithfully safeguarded the Declaration and its principles, and we are grateful for its leadership and commitment to expanding the Declaration’s signatories,” Rubio and Kennedy said.
The Geneva Consensus Declaration was adopted in 2020 under the first Trump administration and was initially signed by representatives of 34 countries. The agreement was spearheaded by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and is explicitly opposed to treating abortion as a method of family planning.
The agreement states that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning” and maintains that abortion policy should be determined at the national or local level through each country’s legislative process. It also reaffirms protections for children before and after birth.
The declaration promotes women’s contributions to their families and societies while affirming women’s rights to education, economic resources, political participation, employment, and leadership. It also calls for access to comprehensive healthcare and emphasizes the protection of human life and the family.
The U.S. was among the declaration’s original cosponsors, along with Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda. Brazil later withdrew as a cosponsor, while Guatemala was added. Russia joined the declaration in 2021.
Biden withdrew the U.S. from the declaration in early 2021, and his administration subsequently encouraged other countries to leave the agreement. Hungary then assumed responsibility for the secretariat, with the Budapest-based Maria Kopp Institute carrying out much of the work.
The Trump administration moved to reverse that decision after returning to office. Rubio announced in January 2025 that the U.S. intended to rejoin the declaration, and the U.S. subsequently reentered the agreement.
The declaration now has 39 signatories, according to the agreement’s supporters, with Burundi and Chad among the more recent additions.
The agreement has also drawn criticism over the governments that have signed it. Critics have noted that its signatories include authoritarian or highly restrictive governments, including Iraq, South Sudan, and Saudi Arabia.