Giving Compass' Take:

• The U.S. has taken a stance to the right of Russia and Arab and African countries on women's right at a top U.N. meeting, moving to remove mentions of abortion altogether.  

• How does the U.S. influence on international policy impact the lives of people around the world? Can NGOs step up to lead when the government steps back? 

• How has the Mexico City Policy commonly known as the Global Gag Rule, reinstated by the Trump Administration, impacted women's health around the world?

United Nations member states wrapped the annual Commission on the Status of Women meeting in March with a set of conclusions that fell short of the agreement many civil society advocates were hoping would include strong language on human rights and sexual and reproductive health.

The negotiations around the document — a tool civil society policy experts and activists bring back home to lobby for the rights of women and girls — drew late into Friday, the final day of the two-week event.

For the second year in a row, the United States delegation was cast as one of the most aggressive — and regressive — players at the table.

The 19-page agreement recognizes that all rural women and girls “face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination,” as well as their critical role in eradicating poverty through sustainable agriculture and development work. It expresses concern over their lack of key health care services and food security, and calls for development programs, national policies, and official development assistance to be delivered with a focus on gender equality. While there is a call to ensure “universal access” to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, abortion is not mentioned.

The U.S. and the Vatican have made efforts to eliminate references to contraceptives and abortion, and to emphasize natural family planning, according to Shannon Kowalski, the director of advocacy and policy at the International Women’s Health Coalition. They have moved to the right of conservative approaches adopted by Russia and the Arab and African member state blocs.

Read the full article on the U.S. and women by Amy Lieberman at Devex International Development