Dylan Lang
U.S. Adviser to the Third Committee
New York, New York
November 17, 2022
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It is the United States’ abiding belief that the multilateral system serves as the best vehicle to promote respect for, and protection of, human rights around the world. However, in promoting human rights, we must be willing to consider all individuals. As we have seen around the world, the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons, gender non-binary persons, and women and girls are under attack.
In this regard, we have concerns that this resolution promotes narrow visions of the family that impede gender equality, undermine the rights of women and girls, and exclude LGBTQI+ persons. The United States advocated for inclusion of language that states a simple truth: diverse families exist everywhere in the world. This is not a normative statement; it is a fact. Various family structures have been in existence since the beginning of time — intergenerational households, grandparents raising grandchildren, single parents, adopted families, guardianships, and families headed by same-sex households. As we address the evolving home life of the modern family, we also must recognize, support, and lift up diverse families globally.
Thank you, Chair.
###
