In 1998, Gro Harlem Brundtland was named as the first female Director-General of the World Health Organization. Many hailed her appointment as a long-overdue opportunity to introduce a new ethic of female compassion and sensitivity at the highest levels of the United Nations.

Indeed, Dr. Brundtland is long-known as an advocate for women's rights and health needs. For example, she recently laid out this analysis to the 59th U.N. Commission on Human Rights:

"Millions of women accept poor health status as their lot in life and bring up their daughters to do the same. Why? Because they have been ascribed an inferior status and are victims of a persistent devaluing of women's contribution to society." Link.

Around the same time, other women came into positions of authority and power within the United Nations. Now, it is believed that a feminist perspective permeates many of the U.N. programs, services, and publications. For example, of the eight U.N. Millennium Development Goals, two are specific to women:

- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Improve maternal health

1. According to the World Health Report and the recent Global Burden of Disease study, the longevity and health status of men lag in comparison to women. This disparity is especially worrisome for males in the 15-60 year age group (1). One U.N. report concluded, "Except in a handful of countries, men have a lower life expectancy at birth and higher death rates during adulthood than women" (2).

The World Health Organization has established a wide range of programs, publications, and initiatives that are specific to the needs and concerns of women, including a WHO Department of Women's Health and a Global Commission on Women's Health (3).

But similar programs do not exist for men.

2. Globally, violence accounts for 14% of deaths among males, and only 7% of deaths among females. Link.

But the recent WHO Report on Violence and Health (4) one-sidely presents the issue in a way that downplays the effects of violence on men. For example, in the discussion on Child Soldiers (Box 8.3), there is no mention made of the fact that almost all children forced into military combat are male. And the over 100 studies that show that women are as likely to initiate domestic violence as men are casually dismissed in a single paragraph.

In its discussion of suicide, collective violence, and other examples of violence directed against men, gender simply becomes a non-issue.

3. In 2000, 233,000 men died of war-related injuries, compared to only 77,000 women, according to the World Report on Violence and Health (4, Table A.5). This represents a 3:1 sex disparity.

On October 31, 2001, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1325 which addresses the impact of war on women. The Resolution claims, "civilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict." But the claim that war harms more women than men contradicts the U.N.'s own numbers presented in the previous paragraph.

And when war strikes, civilian populations are often left homeless. Those persons forced to flee include men, women, and children.

The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees makes the following plea on its website: "The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees...One million women and children...homeless, hungry, helpless...Their only help is you". Link.

Nothing is said about men who are homeless, hungry, and helpless.

4. The 24th General Recommendation of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) counsels that:

"special attention should be given to the health needs and rights of women belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, such as migrant women, refugee and internally displaced women, the girl child and older women, women in prostitution, indigenous women and women with physical or mental disabilities...."). Link.

Apparently, dying 5-10 years earlier than women does not qualify men as being vulnerable or disadvantaged, at least in the eyes of the United Nations.

5. Over a 10-year period, the Taliban in Afghanistan terrorized ethnic villagers. The most egregious violations of human rights were directed against civilian men, who were often tortured, maimed, and killed (5). Afghan women were also mistreated, being prohibited from obtaining employment and attending school.

On April 7, 2000, the U.N. Security Council registered its concerns. Kofi Annan, President of the Security Council alluded to the "separation of men from their families". In this case, "separated" meant "never heard from again."

Then Annan issued this ringing denunciation of the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan:

"The Security Council condemns the continuing grave violations of the human rights of women and girls, including all forms of discrimination against them, in all areas of Afghanistan, particularly in areas under the control of the Taliban. It remains deeply concerned about continued restrictions on their access to health care, to education and to employment outside the home, and about restrictions on their freedom of movement and freedom from intimidation, harassment and violence. The Council notes the recent reports of modest progress regarding the access of women and girls to certain services, but considers that such incremental improvements, while welcome, still fall far short of the minimum expectations of the international community, and calls upon all parties, particularly the Taliban, to take measures to end all violations of human rights of women and girls". Link.

Apparently, the restrictions that the Taliban had placed on women were far more disturbing to Mr. Annan than the mass killing of men.

An Agenda Gone Awry

In 1948, the United Nations ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Declaration is the international covenant that defines and affirms essential human rights. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights addresses the right to life: "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."

Now, the gender health programs of United Nations are violating the U.N.'s own founding principles. Something has gone wrong with the gender health agenda at the United Nations.

-Carey Roberts