US representatives found themselves isolated at a “failed” counter-summit, organised by religious conservative groups, to protest against the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) in Nairobi this week.

More than 9,500 people from 170 countries attended the three-day global summit, queuing for hours to get in on the opening day. Five people were rushed to hospital after fainting in the packed lines of delegates.

In contrast, around the corner, openDemocracy found a sparsely-attended counter-summit organised by groups rallying against sex education, access to safe abortion and LGBTIQ rights.

Throughout the week, Kenyan, US and European activists at the counter-summit accused the ICPD25 of ‘cultural imperialism’ and claimed that LGBTIQ people are sick and need treatment.

However their protests failed to get much traction. On Thursday, numerous placards were left lying on the floor along the side of the venue after only a few dozen people showed up for a demonstration.

“They were predicting thousands – this was a huge blow for them and an embarrassment”, said Remigiusz Bak, policy officer at the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF).

“The US in the end was very isolated”, he added, citing how only a handful of countries signed a US-led statement against the summit. “They hugely underestimated the culture of people here, the openness, and inclusiveness”.