[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 376 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 376

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 6, 2014

   Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Cardin, Ms. 
    Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mrs. 
 Feinstein, and Mr. Begich) submitted the following resolution; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

Whereas there are more than 3,500,000,000 women in the world today;
Whereas women around the world participate in the political, social, and 
        economic life of their communities, play a critical role in providing 
        and caring for their families, contribute substantially to the growth of 
        economies and the prevention of conflict, and, as both farmers and 
        caregivers, play an important role in advancing food security for their 
        communities;
Whereas the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority 
        for the United States;
Whereas, on November 15, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry stated: ``Creating 
        opportunities for women is not just the right thing to do. It's also a 
        strategic necessity. Societies where women are safe, where women are 
        empowered to exercise their rights and to move their communities 
        forward--these societies are more prosperous and more stable--not 
        occasionally, but always.'';
Whereas, on December 19, 2011, the Obama Administration launched the first 
        United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security 
        (referred to in this preamble as the ``National Action Plan'') that 
        included a comprehensive set of national commitments to advance the 
        active participation of women in decisionmaking relating to matters of 
        war and peace;
Whereas the National Action Plan states: ``Deadly conflicts can be more 
        effectively avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when 
        women become equal partners in all aspects of peace-building and 
        conflict prevention, when their lives are protected, their experiences 
        considered, and their voices heard.'';
Whereas women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention and conflict 
        resolution efforts, despite proven successes by women in conflict-
        affected regions in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism, 
        resolving disputes through non-violent mediation and negotiation, and 
        stabilizing their societies by improving access to peace and security 
        services, institutions, and decisionmaking venues;
Whereas the ability of women to realize their full potential is critical to the 
        ability of a country to achieve strong and lasting economic growth and 
        political and social stability;
Whereas according to the International Monetary Fund, ``focusing on the needs 
        and empowerment of women is one of the keys to human development'';
Whereas according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 published by the World 
        Economic Forum, ``reducing gender inequality enhances productivity and 
        economic growth'';
Whereas according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
        Organization, two-thirds of the 774,000,000 illiterate people in the 
        world are female;
Whereas according to the United States Agency for International Development, 
        ``educated women are less likely to marry early and more likely to have 
        smaller and healthier families. They are also more likely to get a job 
        and earn a higher wage.'';
Whereas according to the United Nations Children's Fund, ``adolescent girls that 
        attend school [are more likely to] delay marriage and childbearing, are 
        less vulnerable to disease including HIV and AIDS, and [are more likely 
        to] acquire information and skills that lead to increased earning power. 
        Evidence shows that the return to a year of secondary education for 
        girls correlates to a 25 percent increase in wages later in life.'';
Whereas according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United 
        Nations, the majority of women living in rural areas of the developing 
        world are heavily engaged in agricultural labor, yet they receive less 
        credit, land, agricultural inputs, and training than their male 
        counterparts;
Whereas according to the World Bank, women own or partly own over one-third of 
        small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, and 40 
        percent of the global workforce is female, yet, women entrepreneurs and 
        employers have disproportionately less access to capital and other 
        financial services;
Whereas despite strides in recent decades, women around the world continue to 
        face significant obstacles in all aspects of their lives, including 
        underrepresentation in all aspects of public life, denial of basic human 
        rights, and discrimination;
Whereas despite achievements by individual female leaders, women around the 
        world are still vastly underrepresented in high-level positions and in 
        national and local legislatures and governments and, according to the 
        Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 21.4 percent of 
        national parliamentarians;
Whereas 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some form of gender-based 
        violence, and 1 in 4 women has suffered abuse during pregnancy;
Whereas according to UN Women, violence against women causes more death and 
        disability for women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 than 
        cancer, war, traffic accidents, and malaria combined;
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, President Obama announced the first interagency 
        Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally;
Whereas violence against women and girls impedes progress in meeting many 
        international global development goals, including efforts to stem 
        maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS;
Whereas, on October 11, 2013, President Obama stated that the practice of child 
        marriage was a ``threat to fundamental human rights'';
Whereas according to the International Center for Research on Women, one-third 
        of girls worldwide are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 girls are 
        married before the age of 15;
Whereas according to Save the Children, pregnancy-related complications are a 
        leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in 
        developing countries;
Whereas according to the United Nations Population Fund, women have access to 
        fewer income-earning opportunities and tend to manage the household and 
        partake in agricultural work, thus increasing their vulnerability to 
        natural disasters and long-term changes in weather patterns;
Whereas it is imperative to alleviate violence and discrimination against women 
        and afford women every opportunity to be full and productive members of 
        their communities; and
Whereas March 8 is recognized each year as International Women's Day, a global 
        day to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of 
        women past, present, and future, and a day to recognize the obstacles 
        that women still face in the struggle for equal rights and 
        opportunities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals of International Women's Day;
            (2) recognizes that the empowerment of women is 
        inextricably linked to the potential of countries to generate 
        economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security;
            (3) recognizes and honors the women in the United States 
        and around the world who have worked throughout history to 
        ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human 
        rights;
            (4) reaffirms the commitment to ending discrimination and 
        violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and 
        welfare of women and girls, to pursuing policies that guarantee 
        the basic human rights of women and girls worldwide, and to 
        promoting meaningful and significant participation of women in 
        all aspects of their societies and communities; and
            (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
                                 <all>