In a contentious announcement on Thursday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that the United States would reject a significant United Nations declaration aimed at combating chronic diseases. He asserted, without evidence, that the document contained references to abortion and “radical gender ideology,” and furthermore, failed to address what he deemed the most critical health issues.
Speaking at a U.N. meeting dedicated to preventing and fighting widespread illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, Secretary Kennedy did not elaborate on which crucial health concerns he felt the declaration overlooked.
Notably, an examination of the declaration’s text reveals no mention of reproductive rights or gender ideology. The term “gender” appears exclusively in the context of specific global health challenges faced by women.
Despite this unilateral opposition from the United States, the declaration, which outlines various health targets, is widely anticipated to receive approval from the majority of the U.N.’s 193 member states.
This action follows a pattern from the Trump administration, which earlier this year initiated America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization—another U.N. body. That decision was based on claims that the WHO mishandled the coronavirus pandemic and failed to implement “urgently needed reforms.”
Public health advocates expressed both confusion and dismay at Secretary Kennedy’s statements, which were also disseminated on social media. Many found it ironic, given that many of the U.N.’s ambitious goals for reducing noncommunicable diseases appear to align closely with his own “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which prioritizes chronic illness, childhood obesity, and the impact of ultra-processed foods.
“The health secretary’s comments were deeply troubling, misleading, and filled with contradictions,” remarked Paula Johns, executive director of ACT Health Promotion, a Brazilian advocacy group, shortly after Kennedy’s address. “He publicly states that the U.S. desires international cooperation on the issue of chronic diseases but offers no pathway for such collaboration. Instead, he simply announces America’s departure from the U.N. process.”
The declaration itself enjoys broad support from global health experts, despite earlier criticisms that its initial recommendations were softened due to industry influence. These concessions included the removal of proposals for higher taxes and graphic warning labels on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks, intended to curb demand. The final version also completely omitted any mention of sugary beverages.
Interestingly, Secretary Kennedy’s articulation of the severe threat posed by chronic illness largely echoed the sentiments found within the U.N. declaration itself.
“Chronic disease has more than doubled within a single generation. Millions of children are now losing healthy years before even reaching adulthood,” Kennedy stated. “This crisis certainly does not stop at America’s borders.”
However, he insisted that the U.N. General Assembly had overstepped its mandate, reiterating that the United States could not endorse the promotion of abortion and “gender ideology.”
“We firmly believe in the biological reality of sex,” Secretary Kennedy affirmed. “As President Trump has previously declared, global bureaucrats have absolutely no right to infringe upon the sovereignty of nations committed to protecting innocent life.”
Requests for clarification regarding Secretary Kennedy’s specific comments on abortion and gender ideology went unanswered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Health experts warn that the potential abandonment of the U.N. process by the U.S. would only exacerbate America’s isolation on critical global health challenges. This stance is consistent with the White House’s solitary opposition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a position prominently highlighted in recent days as world leaders convened to discuss strategies for accelerating climate change action.
“The U.S. appears to be actively attempting to derail this process, but we remain unconvinced they will succeed,” commented Alison Cox, policy director at the NCD Alliance, an advocacy organization. “This approach is remarkably shortsighted and utterly unhelpful when facing an urgent global crisis.”
Ms. Cox emphasized that the current declaration emerged from a months-long negotiation process involving numerous civil society groups, health experts, and delegations from member states. “While not perfect, it remains a crucial accomplishment for global health,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, has been a fervent advocate for robust measures to combat noncommunicable diseases, which tragically account for 17 million premature deaths annually.
In recent months, Dr. Tedros has championed a separate WHO initiative urging countries to increase taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by 50% over the next decade. He projected that these taxes could generate an estimated $1 trillion for government healthcare initiatives over ten years, potentially preventing 50 million premature deaths over five decades.
“Health’s foundation is not found in clinics and hospitals,” Dr. Tedros articulated in his remarks preceding Secretary Kennedy’s speech. “It originates in our homes, schools, streets, and workplaces—in the food we consume, the products we use, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the very conditions in which we live and work.”