[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 74 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 74

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 11, 2013

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Begich, Mr. 
   Cardin, Mr. Casey, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. 
Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
 Schatz, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following resolution; which 
                      was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

Whereas there are more than 3,300,000,000 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, 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 January 30, 2013, President Barack Obama signed a presidential 
        memorandum recognizing the need for ``dedicated professionals with . . . 
        expertise and stature'' to sustain advances in the status of women and 
        girls worldwide and directing the Secretary of State to ensure that an 
        Ambassador-at-Large continues to lead the Office of Global Women's 
        Issues;
Whereas, on December 19, 2011, the Obama Administration launched the first-ever 
        United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security that 
        included a comprehensive set of national commitments to advance the 
        active participation of women in decision making relating to matters of 
        war and peace;
Whereas President Obama said, ``[o]ur common prosperity will be advanced by 
        allowing all humanity--men and women--to reach their full potential'';
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, President Obama announced the first interagency 
        Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally;
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 2012 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, 
        ``reducing gender inequality enhances productivity and economic 
        growth'';
Whereas, according to the World Bank 2012 World Development Report: Gender 
        Equality and Development, ``greater gender equality is also smart 
        economics, enhancing productivity and improving other development 
        outcomes, including prospects for the next generation and for the 
        quality of societal policies and institutions'';
Whereas, although strides have been made 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 some achievements by individual women 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 20.3 percent of 
        national parliamentarians;
Whereas women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention and conflict 
        resolution efforts, despite proven successes by women in conflict-
        affected regions in moderating violent extremism, resolving disputes 
        through non-violent mediation and negotiation, and stabilizing their 
        societies by improving access to peace and security services, 
        institutions, and decision-making venues;
Whereas, according to the United Nations, 1 in 3 women around the world has 
        experienced some form of gender-based violence and 1 in 4 women has been 
        abused during pregnancy;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, as many as 1 in 5 women 
        report being sexually abused before the age of 15;
Whereas, according to UNESCO, women account for 64 percent of the 796,000,000 
        adults worldwide who lack basic literacy skills;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Population Fund, 1 in 9 girls in 
        developing countries (excluding the People's Republic of China) will be 
        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 Food and Agriculture Organization, 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 it is imperative to alleviate violence and discrimination against women 
        and afford them 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 its commitment to ending discrimination and 
        violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and 
        welfare of women and girls, and to pursuing policies that 
        guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls worldwide; 
        and
            (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
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