The United States stood alone at the United Nations in early March after a European-led procedural move blocked a vote on defining gender in biological terms at one of the world’s leading forums on women’s rights.
According to the conclusion of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the US was the only country to oppose the body’s annual ‘Agreed Conclusions’, citing concerns that the language deviates from biological definitions of women and girls. No other Member State voted with the United States.
Central to the dispute is how the United Nations defines ‘gender’. Current UN frameworks, rooted in the 1995 Beijing Declaration, do not provide a fixed definition and rely instead on evolving interpretations related to broader concepts of gender identity, EU officials said.
The US proposal attempted to explicitly anchor the term in biological sex.
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The US introduced a resolution entitled ‘Protection of women and girls through appropriate terminology’, which sought to clarify how gender is understood across UN policies.
The ‘Violence against Women and Girls’ meeting, part of the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, on March 12, 2026. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The draft states that the term “gender” should be interpreted “according to its ordinary, generally accepted usage, as referring to men and women.”
The proposal never led to a vote. Belgium has submitted a ‘no-action motion’ on behalf of the European Union, a procedural tool that blocks debate and prevents a proposal from being considered.
The motion passed, halting the US resolution before it reached the floor.
That distinction has practical implications. The UN language shapes global norms related to development finance, humanitarian programs, education policies and anti-discrimination frameworks.
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The Belgian flag is photographed in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 17, 2015. (Photo by Michael Jacobs/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images)
“While our red lines have been ignored, the United States government will not stand by as malign forces abuse multilateral organizations to promote their ideologies and social agendas, hindering countries’ ability to exercise their national sovereignty,” Kozma said. “We will always protect women and girls from dangerous gender ideology and affirm biological truth.”
She added that the decision to block the vote was driven by political calculations.
“The EU blocked our resolution to define gender as men and women at the UN because they feared we would win and they would lose,” Kozma said. “We will not give up on doing what is right for women and girls. Even if we stand alone, as we did last week at the UN, we will always stand to protect women and girls from the dangerous radical gender ideology and always affirm biological truth.”
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Delegates attend a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on February 24, 2026 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
A State Department official described the move as part of a broader coordinated effort led by European countries.
“These are procedural games that these countries are not prepared for,” the official said, referring to smaller delegations that may not have guidance on complex procedural votes.
The official said the maneuver allowed opponents to block a vote despite what the U.S. said was growing support. These claims could not be independently verified.
The European Union rejected US criticism, saying the proposal was flawed and rushed.
“The draft resolution presented by the US was factually incorrect,” said David Jordens, spokesman for the Belgian Foreign Ministry, adding that the text agreed in the 1995 Beijing Declaration is “misquoted and contradicted.
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The United Nations in New York City. (iStock)
“While the EU respects the prerogative of Member States to put forward new initiatives for consideration, CSW members should not be forced to rush to a decision on an issue of this importance by the unilateral initiative of one Member State, without prior consultation or negotiation,” Jordens said.
He added that “there is no universally agreed definition of the term ‘gender’. As reflected in the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the term was understood in accordance with its ordinary and generally accepted usage, without establishing a fixed or exhaustive definition. The United Nations must continue to approach gender equality in an inclusive and forward-looking manner, with respect for diversity. Any attempt to revise or reinterpret internationally agreed language must proceed through broad, transparent consultation with the entire membership.”
