The U.S. rejected on Thursday a United Nations political declaration about combatting chronic disease and promoting mental health because of language the Trump administration said was objectionable.
Speaking to U.N. delegates at the meeting in New York City, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said President Trump is committed to solving the nation’s chronic disease epidemic but the declaration “exceeds the UN’s proper role while ignoring the most pressing health issues.”
He also objected to repeated references to the World Health Organization and said it can’t claim credibility or leadership until it undergoes “radical reform.”
President Trump started the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the global health body at the start of his term in January.
The U.N.’s non-binding declaration sets specific but modest targets for reducing chronic diseases by 2030, such as 150 million fewer people using tobacco; 150 million more with hypertension under control; and 150 million more with access to mental health care.
Kennedy said the declaration was filled with controversy and contained “provisions about everything from taxes to oppressive management.”
“We cannot accept language that pushes destructive gender ideology, and neither can we accept claims of a constitutional or international right to abortion,” Kennedy said.
“The United States will walk away from the declaration, but we will never walk away from the world, or our commitment to end chronic disease,” he added.
Kennedy called on the international community to come together to combat the “scourge” of ultra-processed food, a key priority for his Make America Healthy Again movement.
“President Trump wants to lead the effort globally against the ultra-processed foods and the medical and physical illness associated with it,” Kennedy said. “We cannot defeat the epidemic alone, but the U.N.’s approach is misdirected.”