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At the UN, plans for a global coalition to attack LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights

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During the United Nations General Assembly in September 2026, a gathering of conservative politicians, activists and media figures took place at a hotel in New York City. The two-day event, called the Global Forum for Life, Family and Freedoms, brought together participants from the United States and several other countries to advance plans for a new informal bloc at the UN that would push back against existing protections for LGBTQ+ people and reproductive rights.

What is being proposed and who is behind it

The initiative aims to establish a so-called “pro-life and pro-family” Core Group at the UN, intended as a counterweight to the existing LGBTI Core Group, which has operated since 2008 and currently includes 42 member states. The new group would seek to coordinate voting among sympathetic governments in order to weaken or block language supporting sexual and reproductive health rights in UN agreements and resolutions.

The driving force behind the proposal is Aarón Lara, a Mexico-based conservative activist who founded the Ibero-American Congress for Life and Family in 2017. Working alongside him is Valerie Huber, a former senior official at the US Department of Health and Human Services during the first Trump administration, who now leads an anti-abortion NGO. Huber also helped develop the Geneva Consensus Declaration, an agreement currently signed by dozens of countries that opposes abortion and promotes the traditional nuclear family. The United States rejoined that agreement in early 2025 and later assumed a leading role among its signatories.

Attendees at the September forum included:

  • Three representatives from the current Trump administration
  • Leaders of several US-based conservative and religious organisations
  • Lawmakers from Peru, Uruguay and Guatemala
  • Far-right figures from Canada, Armenia and the Netherlands

Concerns raised by human rights advocates

Critics warn that a coordinated bloc of this kind could make it significantly harder to maintain basic human rights protections for LGBTQ+ people within UN frameworks. Maria Sjödin, executive director of the international NGO Outright International, cautioned that the effort could place at risk protections that already exist, including those covering humanitarian aid and resolutions against extrajudicial killings. Wendy Via of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism noted that the involvement of the United States, given its global influence, could amplify the impact of the initiative considerably.

The core group has not yet been formally established. Observers note that while its founders have expressed confidence about moving quickly, there remain significant steps before it becomes operational. Advocacy organisations are urging those who support LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedoms at the international level to monitor developments closely.

This article is adapted from “At the UN, plans for a global coalition to attack LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights” published by Global Voices, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Changes were made. Read the original story at the link above.

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