[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 480 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 480

 Recognizing and honoring the historic election of women to the Kuwait 
   parliament and its implications for gender equality in the region.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2009

Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas submitted the following resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing and honoring the historic election of women to the Kuwait 
   parliament and its implications for gender equality in the region.

Whereas four women lawmakers won parliamentary seats for the first time in 
        Kuwait's general elections on May 16, 2009, marking an historic event 
        for the country, the region, and for women's rights;
Whereas the women elected to parliament in this historic election include Dr. 
        Massouma al-Mubarak, Dr. Rola Dashti, Dr. Salwa al-Jassar, and Dr. Aseel 
        al-Awadhi;
Whereas Dr. Massouma al-Mubarak was also appointed as the country's first female 
        cabinet member in 2005 and is a long-time advocate in the field of 
        women's rights in Kuwait;
Whereas Dr. Rola Dashti is the 2005 winner of the King Hussein Humanitarian 
        Award, the first woman elected to chair the Kuwaiti Economic Society, 
        and an advocate for social equality and a larger role for women in 
        public life;
Whereas Dr. Salwa al-Jassar is an education professor at Kuwait University and 
        chair of the Women's Empowerment Center;
Whereas Dr. Aseel al-Awadhi is a philosophy professor at Kuwait University and 
        stressed the importance of outreach to the youth in Kuwait throughout 
        her campaign;
Whereas of the 210 candidates running for the 50 parliament seats, 16 of these 
        were women;
Whereas women received the right to vote and run for office in 2005 and these 
        elections represent only the third time that women have participated in 
        the political process, signifying dramatic progress for women's rights 
        in only four years since receiving suffrage;
Whereas these results signify support of women's role in government and politics 
        and a move towards equal rights for women, adding a new precedent to 
        Kuwait's democratic traditions;
Whereas the four women elected did so without formal organized party support or 
        a quota-based system for seats in parliament, making this a significant 
        achievement for democracy in the region;
Whereas these candidates ran for office and women exercised their right to vote 
        in the face of conservative backlash and calls for a boycott of women 
        candidates; and
Whereas the political process and subsequent election of women to the parliament 
        were conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes and honors the historic election of women to 
        the Kuwait parliament and its implications for gender equality 
        in the region; and
            (2) honors those who fought for women's suffrage and 
        advocated for the advancement of the status of women in Kuwait.
                                 <all>