Member states at the United Nations’ 70th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) have halted the consideration of a proposal by the United States that sought to redefine “gender” in strictly binary terms. The proposal, unveiled on the final day of the nine-day conference on March 19, called on member states to formally adopt a definition of gender as referring exclusively to men and women, arguing that this interpretation was published previously in the 1995 Beijing Declaration.

However, critics pointed out that the original Beijing Declaration, a landmark global framework for advancing women’s rights, does not define gender in those terms. Instead, historical accounts suggest that the negotiators at the time reached a compromise by effectively deciding to agree to disagree on how gender should be interpreted, allowing for broader and evolving understandings.

Jennifer Rauch, the global advocacy officer for Fòs Feminista, stated, “The US is trying to leverage their own power and position to push forward their own gender ideology onto people in the US system, and they’re willing to lie to do it.”

The US initiative quickly sparked intense debate and mobilisation among advocacy groups when two competing letters circulated among delegates, reflecting opposing viewpoints. Conservative voices framed the proposal as a necessary step to safeguard women and girls, while progressive organisations argued it represented an attempt to impose a restrictive and misleading interpretation on international policy.

Tensions reportedly came to a head when Belgium, supported by 25 other European Union member states, introduced a “no-action motion” designed to prevent further debate or voting on the proposal. The motion passed with a majority: 23 countries voted in favour, 17 abstained, and only three, the United States, Pakistan, and Chile, opposed it. The result effectively shut down the U.S. effort before it could proceed with its argument any further.

Notably, several countries that abstained indicated procedural concerns rather than moral disagreement, citing the United States’ failure to follow established diplomatic processes. Some of these nations reportedly share similar conservative perspectives on gender. For example, Italy noted that they agree with the interpretation of “gender” as “referring exclusively to male, female, binary based on sex at birth.”

María Paula Perdomo of the LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation Outright International commented on the decision to halt the binary definition of gender during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, telling Devex, “It was a huge moment of the world telling the U.S. that it stops here.” She went on to say, “We follow the rules, and if you want to bring this, do it appropriately, do it with due process, and bring it with truth.”