A new initiative has been launched to unite anti-LBGTI organisations from all around the world to fight against the United Nations (UN) for its recognition of same-sex relationships.

The newly formed platform called Civil Society for the Family, set up by the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam), describes itself as ‘the first pro-family coalition to explicitly push back against UN entities attempting to redefine the family to include same-sex relations.’

Organisations from any part of the world can become a member by simply signing up for the platform online.

‘We expect hundreds of groups from all over the world to sign onto The Family Articles and to join Civil Society for the Family,’ said C-Fam president Austin Ruse.

The Family Articles, which lay the foundation of the coalition, assert that same-sex couples and families do not deserve the same rights, protection and recognition as their straight counterparts:

‘Any mention of the family in UN resolutions and conference outcomes can only be interpreted in reference to a man and a woman united in marriage, and relations that are equivalent or analogous, including single parent families and multigenerational families,’ the Articles state.

‘Relations between individuals of the same sex and other social and legal arrangements that are neither equivalent nor analogous to the family are not entitled to the protections singularly reserved for the family in international law and policy,’

The coalition also believes that by giving ‘international status and recognition to social and legal arrangements between individuals of the same sex,’ the UN causes confusion and acrimony in international negotiations on the subject of the family.

‘The world cannot be held hostage by a small minority of countries blocking any discussion of the family unless they can impose same-sex marriage on the entire world,’ Ruse argues. ‘This is harmful both for the family for the United Nations.’

On the issue of parenthood, the coalition also lambasts governments who give same-sex relationships an equal footing as their straight counterparts, explaining that same-sex parents ‘undermine the fundamental human right of children to know and be cared for by their mother and father, and may jeopardise their health and wellbeing.’

The coalition hopes the UN will relook at its definition of marriage and family.

Other groups that are leading the initiative include Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage and TransAtlantic Christian Council.

As of press time, 79 groups have already signed up for the coalition.