[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5332 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5332

To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation 
 of women in mediation and negotiations processes seeking to prevent, 
                 mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2016

   Mrs. Noem (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Royce, and Mr. Engel) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation 
 of women in mediation and negotiations processes seeking to prevent, 
                 mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women, Peace, and Security Act of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Around the world, women remain under-represented in 
        conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict 
        peace building efforts.
            (2) Despite the historic under-representation of women in 
        conflict resolution processes, women in conflict-affected 
        regions have nevertheless achieved significant success in--
                    (A) moderating violent extremism;
                    (B) countering terrorism;
                    (C) resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation 
                and negotiation; and
                    (D) stabilizing societies by enhancing the 
                effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping 
                efforts, institutions, and decisionmaking processes.
            (3) Research shows that--
                    (A) peace negotiations are more likely to end in a 
                peace agreement when women's groups play an influential 
                role in the negotiation process;
                    (B) once reached, a peace agreement is 35 percent 
                more likely to last at least 15 years if women have 
                participated in the negotiation process; and
                    (C) when women meaningfully participate, peace 
                negotiations are more likely to address the conflict's 
                underlying causes, leading to more sustainable 
                outcomes.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the meaningful participation of women in conflict 
        prevention and conflict resolution processes helps to promote 
        more inclusive and democratic societies and is critical to the 
        long-term stability of countries and regions; and
            (2) the United States should be a global leader in 
        promoting the meaningful participation of women in conflict 
        prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict 
        relief and recovery efforts.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United 
States to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects 
of conflict prevention, management, and resolution, reinforced through 
diplomatic efforts and programs that--
            (1) integrate the perspectives and interests of affected 
        women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies;
            (2) encourage partner governments to adopt plans to improve 
        the meaningful participation of women in peace and security 
        processes and decisionmaking institutions;
            (3) promote the physical safety, economic security, and 
        dignity of women and girls;
            (4) support the equal access of women to aid distribution 
        mechanisms and services;
            (5) collect and analyze gender data for the purpose of 
        developing and enhancing early warning systems of conflict and 
        violence;
            (6) adjust policies and programs to improve outcomes in 
        gender equality and the empowerment of women; and
            (7) monitor, analyze, and evaluate implementation efforts 
        and the impact of such efforts.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that the 
President, in implementing each strategy submitted under section 5, 
should--
            (1) provide technical assistance, training, and logistical 
        support to female negotiators, mediators, peace builders, and 
        stakeholders;
            (2) address security-related barriers to the meaningful 
        participation of women;
            (3) increase the participation of women in existing 
        programs funded by the United States Government that provide 
        training to foreign nationals regarding law enforcement, the 
        rule of law, or professional military education;
            (4) support appropriate local organizations, especially 
        women's peace building organizations;
            (5) support the training, education, and mobilization of 
        men and boys as partners in support of the meaningful 
        participation of women;
            (6) encourage the development of transitional justice and 
        accountability mechanisms that are inclusive of the experiences 
        and perspectives of women and girls;
            (7) expand and apply gender analysis to improve program 
        design and targeting; and
            (8) conduct assessments that include the perspectives of 
        women before implementing new projects or activities in support 
        of peace negotiations, transitional justice and accountability, 
        efforts to counter violent extremism, or security sector 
        reform.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN 
              CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.

    (a) Requirement.--Not later than October 1, 2017, October 1, 2022, 
and October 1, 2027, the President, in consultation with the head of 
each relevant Federal department and agency, shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees and make publicly available a 
single government-wide strategy, to be known as the Women, Peace, and 
Security Strategy, that provides a detailed description of how the 
United States intends to fulfill the policy objectives in section 4. 
The strategy shall--
            (1) support and be aligned with plans developed by other 
        nations to improve the meaningful participation of women in 
        peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace 
        building, transitional processes, and decisionmaking 
        institutions in conflict-affected environments; and
            (2) include specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, 
        performance metrics, timetables, and monitoring and evaluation 
        plans to ensure the accountability and effectiveness of all 
        policies, programs, projects, and activities carried out under 
        the strategy.
    (b) Specific Plans for Agencies.--Each strategy under subsection 
(a) shall include a specific implementation plan from each relevant 
Federal department and agency that describes--
            (1) the anticipated contributions of the department or 
        agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind 
        contributions, to implement the strategy; and
            (2) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that 
        the activities and programs carried out pursuant to the 
        strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term 
        sustainability.
    (c) Coordination.--The President should promote the meaningful 
participation of women in conflict prevention, in coordination and 
consultation with international partners, including multilateral 
organizations, stakeholders, and other relevant international 
organizations, particularly in circumstances in which direct engagement 
is not appropriate or advisable.

SEC. 6. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN 
              CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.

    (a) Foreign Service.--Section 704 of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (22 U.S.C. 4024) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) The Secretary, in conjunction with the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development, shall ensure that 
all appropriate personnel (including special envoys, members of 
mediation or negotiation teams, relevant members of the civil service 
or foreign service, and contractors) responsible for or deploying to 
countries or regions considered to be at risk of, undergoing, or 
emerging from violent conflict obtain training, as appropriate, in the 
following areas, each of which shall include a focus on women and 
ensuring meaningful participation by women:
            ``(1) Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.
            ``(2) Protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and 
        trafficking in persons.
            ``(3) International human rights law and international 
        humanitarian law.''.
    (b) Department of Defense.--
            (1) Chapter 107 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
        by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Women.
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary of 
Defense shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (including members 
of the armed forces, members of mediation or negotiation teams, and 
relevant members of the civil service) responsible for or deploying to 
countries or regions considered to be at risk of, undergoing, or 
emerging from violent conflict obtain training, as appropriate, in the 
following areas:
            ``(1) Advanced training in conflict prevention, peace 
        processes, mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives 
        that specifically addresses the importance of meaningful 
        participation by women.
            ``(2) Gender considerations and meaningful participation by 
        women, including training regarding--
                    ``(A) international human rights law and 
                international humanitarian law, as relevant; and
                    ``(B) protecting civilians from violence, 
                exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
            ``(3) Effective strategies and best practices for ensuring 
        meaningful participation by women.
    ``(b) Existing Training.--All training provided in accordance with 
subsection (a) shall be incorporated into existing pre-deployment 
training.''.
            (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 107 
        of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
        end the following new item:

``2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Women.''.
    (c) Collaboration With the United Nations.--The Secretary of State 
should work with the United Nations and the international community to 
increase the meaningful participation of women in international 
peacekeeping operations, and should promote training that provides 
international peacekeeping personnel with the substantive knowledge and 
skills needed to effectively ensure the physical security and 
meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and peace 
building.

SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development shall establish 
guidelines for overseas United States personnel to consult with 
stakeholders regarding United States efforts to--
            (1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and
            (2) enhance the success of mediation and negotiation 
        processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women.
    (b) Frequency and Scope.--Consultations under subsection (a) shall 
take place regularly and include a range and representative sample of 
stakeholders, including local women, youth, ethnic and religious 
minorities, and other politically under-represented or marginalized 
populations.

SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Briefing.--The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
and the Secretary of Defense, shall brief the appropriate congressional 
committees, not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, on--
            (1) existing, enhanced, and newly established training 
        carried out pursuant to section 6 and the amendments made by 
        such section; and
            (2) the guidelines established for overseas United States 
        diplomatic and consular personnel to engage in consultations 
        with United States and international stakeholders, pursuant to 
        section 7.
    (b) Report on Women, Peace, and Security Strategy.--Not later than 
1 year after the date of the submission of each strategy required under 
section 5, the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that--
            (1) outlines the monitoring and evaluation tools, 
        mechanisms, and common indicators to assess progress made on 
        the policy objectives in section 4;
            (2) summarizes United States diplomatic efforts and foreign 
        assistance programs, projects, and activities to promote the 
        meaningful participation of women; and
            (3) summarizes and evaluates the impact of the programs, 
        projects, and activities that support the policy objectives in 
        section 4.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign 
                Relations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
                of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means 
        nongovernmental and private sector entities engaged in or 
        affected by conflict prevention and stabilization, peace-
        building, protection, security, transition initiatives, 
        humanitarian response, or related efforts, including--
                    (A) registered or nonregistered nonprofit 
                organizations, advocacy groups, business or trade 
                associations, labor unions, cooperatives, credit 
                unions, relief or development organizations, community 
                and faith-based organizations, philanthropic 
                foundations, and tribal leaders or structures;
                    (B) independent media, educational, or research 
                institutions; and
                    (C) private enterprises, including international 
                development firms, banks, and other financial 
                institutions, particularly small businesses and 
                businesses owned by women or disadvantaged groups.
            (3) Meaningful participation.--The term ``meaningful 
        participation'' means, with respect to the full range of formal 
        or informal processes related to negotiation or mediation, 
        safe, genuine, and effective access to, and present and active 
        involvement in--
                    (A) conflict prevention;
                    (B) efforts to resolve, mitigate, or transition 
                from violent conflict;
                    (C) peacekeeping and peace-building efforts;
                    (D) post-conflict reconstruction, transition 
                initiatives, and governance; and
                    (E) humanitarian response.
            (4) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term 
        ``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means--
                    (A) the United States Agency for International 
                Development;
                    (B) the Department of State;
                    (C) the Department of Defense;
                    (D) the Department of Homeland Security;
                    (E) the Department of Justice;
                    (F) the Department of the Treasury;
                    (G) the Millennium Challenge Corporation;
                    (H) the Peace Corps;
                    (I) the Office of the United States Trade 
                Representative;
                    (J) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 
                and
                    (K) any other department or agency specified by the 
                President for purposes of this Act.
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