[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 97 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 97

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 2015

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. 
  Boxer, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. 
 Whitehouse) 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 have fundamental human rights, 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 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 September 24, 2014, President Barack Obama highlighted the United 
        States support for the advancement of women, noting: ``Where women are 
        full participants in a country's politics or economy, societies are more 
        likely to succeed. And that's why we support the participation of women 
        in parliaments and peace processes, schools, and the economy.'';
Whereas women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention and conflict 
        resolution efforts, despite proven success by women in conflict-affected 
        regions in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism, resolving 
        disputes through nonviolent mediation and negotiation, and stabilizing 
        societies by improving access to peace and security services, 
        institutions, and decisionmaking venues;
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 
        includes 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 the following: ``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 the National Action Plan requires the National Security Council staff to 
        coordinate a comprehensive review of, and update to, the National Action 
        Plan in 2015 with consultation from international partners and civil 
        society organizations;
Whereas according to the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement 
        Affairs of the Department of State, women's full and meaningful 
        participation in security forces vastly enhances their effectiveness;
Whereas the ability of women and girls 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 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
        Organization, two-thirds of the 781,000,000 illiterate people in the 
        world are female;
Whereas according to the United States Agency for International Development, 
        compared to uneducated women, ``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 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 United Nations Population Fund, women have access to 
        fewer income-earning opportunities and are more likely to manage the 
        household and engage in agricultural work, making women more vulnerable 
        to economic insecurity caused by natural disasters and long-term changes 
        in weather patterns;
Whereas according to the World Bank, women own or partly own more than 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 compared to men;
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 21.9 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 the World Health Organization, approximately 800 women die 
        from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every day, 
        with 99 percent of all maternal deaths occurring in developing 
        countries;
Whereas according to the United Nations Population Fund, more than 200,000,000 
        women and girls around the world would like to access family planning 
        services but are unable to do so;
Whereas according to data from the World Bank, women between the ages of 15 and 
        44 are at a greater risk of rape and domestic violence than cancer, war, 
        traffic accidents, and malaria combined;
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, President Barack Obama announced the United States 
        Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, the 
        first interagency strategy to address gender-based violence around the 
        world;
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 Barack 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 the World Health Organization, suicide is the leading cause 
        of death for girls ages 15 to 19, followed by complications from 
        pregnancy and childbirth;
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;
Whereas 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, 
        where 189 countries committed to the Beijing Declaration and Platform 
        for Action to integrate gender equality into all dimensions of society;
Whereas 2015 marks the deadline for meeting the United Nations Millennium 
        Development Goals, and progress towards meeting the targets for gender 
        equality and women's empowerment remains uneven; 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 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 individuals in the United States 
        and around the world, including women who are human rights 
        defenders, 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;
            (5) supports international calls for a ``Post-2015 
        Development Agenda'' to include a stand-alone goal to achieve 
        gender equality and women's empowerment; and
            (6) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
                                 <all>