[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 426 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 426

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 8, 2018

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Baldwin, and Mr. Murphy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

Whereas, as of March 2018, there are more than 3,672,000,000 women in the world;
Whereas women around the world--

    (1) have fundamental rights;

    (2) participate in the political, social, and economic lives of their 
communities;

    (3) play a critical role in providing and caring for their families;

    (4) contribute substantially to economic growth and the prevention and 
resolution of conflict; and

    (5) as farmers and caregivers, play an important role in the 
advancement of food security for their communities;

Whereas the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority 
        for the United States;
Whereas 2018 marks--

    (1) the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the 
United Nations, which was the first international agreement to affirm the 
principle of equality between women and men;

    (2) the 23rd anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, at 
which 189 countries committed to integrating gender equality into each 
dimension of society; and

    (3) the 7th anniversary of the establishment of the first United States 
National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, which includes a 
comprehensive set of commitments by the United States to advance the 
meaningful participation of women in decisionmaking relating to matters of 
war or peace;

Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United States, revised in December 
        2017--

    (1) declares that societies that empower women to participate fully in 
civic and economic life are more prosperous and peaceful;

    (2) supports efforts to advance the equality of women, protect the 
rights of women and girls, and promote women and youth empowerment 
programs; and

    (3) recognizes that governments of countries that fail to treat women 
equally do not allow the societies of those countries to reach full 
potential;

Whereas the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, 
        revised in June 2016, states that ``[d]eadly conflicts can be more 
        effectively avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when 
        women become equal partners in all aspects of peacebuilding and conflict 
        prevention, when their lives are protected, their voices heard, and 
        their perspectives taken into account.'';
Whereas there are 72 national action plans around the world, and there are 
        several additional national action plans known to be in development;
Whereas the joint strategy of the Department of State and the United States 
        Agency for International Development entitled ``Department of State & 
        USAID Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism'' and dated May 
        2016--

    (1) notes that women can play a critical role in identifying and 
addressing drivers of violent extremism in their families, communities, and 
broader society; and

    (2) commits to supporting programs that engage women ``as key 
stakeholders in preventing and countering violent extremism in their 
communities'';

Whereas, despite the historical underrepresentation of women in conflict 
        resolution processes, women in conflict-affected regions have 
        nevertheless achieved significant success in--

    (1) moderating violent extremism;

    (2) countering terrorism;

    (3) resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation and negotiation; 
and

    (4) stabilizing societies by improving access to peace and security--

    G    (A) services;

    G    (B) institutions; and

    G    (C) venues for decisionmaking;

Whereas, according to the United Nations, peace negotiations are more likely to 
        end in a peace agreement when women's groups play an influential role in 
        the negotiation process;
Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace Institute, a peace 
        agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women 
        participate in the development of the peace agreement;
Whereas, according to the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement 
        Affairs of the Department of State, the full and meaningful 
        participation of women in security forces vastly enhances the 
        effectiveness of the security forces;
Whereas approximately 15,000,000 girls are married every year before they reach 
        the age of 18, which means that--

    (1) 41,000 girls are married every day; or

    (2) 1 girl is married every 2 seconds;

Whereas, according to the International Labor Organization, an estimated 
        40,300,000 people were victims of modern slavery in 2016, and 71 percent 
        of those victims were women and girls;
Whereas, according to UNICEF--

    (1) approximately \1/4\ of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are 
victims of physical violence; and

    (2) it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced 
some form of physical or sexual violence;

Whereas, according to the 2016 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and 
        Crime entitled ``Global Report on Trafficking in Persons''--

    (1) 79 percent of all detected trafficking victims are women and 
children; and

    (2) while trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and 
forced labor are the most prominently detected forms of trafficking, the 
trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of forced marriage is 
emerging as a more prevalent form of trafficking;

Whereas 603,000,000 women live in countries in which domestic violence is not 
        criminalized;
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the United States Government launched a strategy 
        entitled ``United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based 
        Violence Globally'', which is the first interagency strategy that--

    (1) addresses gender-based violence around the world;

    (2) advances the rights and status of women and girls;

    (3) promotes gender equality in United States foreign policy; and

    (4) works to bring about a world in which all individuals can pursue 
their aspirations without the threat of violence;

Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security Act was enacted into 
        law, which--

    (1) requires the President to submit a government-wide ``Women, Peace, 
and Security Strategy'' describing how the United States would promote and 
strengthen the participation of women in peace negotiations and conflict 
prevention overseas;

    (2) requires the Department of State, the United States Agency for 
International Development, and the Department of Defense to train personnel 
in matters related to the strategy of the President;

    (3) requires the Department of State to brief the appropriate 
congressional committees on that training;

    (4) encourages the Department of State and the United States Agency for 
International Development to establish guidelines for overseas personnel 
consulting with stakeholders regarding efforts to promote the participation 
of women in the mediation and negotiation processes; and

    (5) requires the President to evaluate the impact of the ``Women, 
Peace, and Security Strategy'' and report the results to Congress;

Whereas, on October 27, 2017, Ambassador Michele J. Sison, United States Deputy 
        Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated in a United 
        Nations Security Council debate on women, peace, and security that--

    (1) the role of women in maintaining international peace and security 
is more critical than ever;

    (2) collective work is still required for women to gain more positions 
of leadership in government and civil society, and more seats at the 
negotiating table;

    (3) a growing body of evidence confirms that the inclusion of women in 
peace processes helps reduce conflict and advance stability long-term; and

    (4) the involvement of women in efforts to bring about peace and 
security lead to more sustainable results;

Whereas, in June 2016, the Department of State released an update to the 
        strategy entitled ``United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to 
        Gender-Based Violence Globally'', based on internal evaluations, lessons 
        learned, and consultations with civil society, that underscores that 
        ``preventing and responding to gender-based violence is a cornerstone of 
        the United States Government's commitment to advancing human rights and 
        promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls'';
Whereas the ability of women and girls to realize their full potential is 
        critical to the ability of a country to achieve--

    (1) strong and lasting economic growth; and

    (2) political and social stability;

Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural 
        Organization--

    (1) \2/3\ of the 778,000,000 illiterate individuals in the world are 
female; and

    (2) 130,000,000 girls worldwide are not in school;

Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development, as 
        compared to uneducated women, educated women are--

    (1) less likely to marry as children; and

    (2) more likely to have healthier families;

Whereas, although the United Nations Millennium Project reached the goal of 
        achieving gender parity in primary education in most countries in 2015, 
        more work remains to be done to achieve gender equality in primary 
        education worldwide by addressing--

    (1) discriminatory practices;

    (2) cultural norms;

    (3) inadequate sanitation facilities; and

    (4) other factors that favor boys;

Whereas, according to the United Nations, women have access to fewer income 
        earning opportunities and are more likely to manage the household or 
        engage in agricultural work than men, making women more vulnerable to 
        economic insecurity caused by--

    (1) natural disasters; and

    (2) long-term changes in weather patterns;

Whereas women around the world--

    (1) face a variety of constraints that severely limit their economic 
participation and productivity; and

    (2) are underrepresented in the labor force;

Whereas closing the global gender gap in labor markets could increase worldwide 
        gross domestic product by as much as $28,000,000,000,000 by 2025;
Whereas despite the achievements of individual female leaders--

    (1) women around the world remain vastly underrepresented in--

    G    (A) high-level positions; and

    G    (B) national and local legislatures and governments; and

    (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 
22 percent of national parliamentarians and 17.7 percent of government 
ministers;

Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, during the period beginning 
        in 1990 and ending in 2015, global maternal mortality decreased by 
        approximately 44 percent, but approximately 830 women die from 
        preventable causes relating to pregnancy or childbirth each day, and 99 
        percent of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries;
Whereas according to the World Health Organization--

    (1) suicide is the leading cause of death for girls between the ages of 
15 and 19; and

    (2) complications from pregnancy or childbirth is the second-leading 
cause of death for those girls;

Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports 
        that women and girls comprise approximately \1/2\ of the 65,300,000 
        refugees and internally displaced or stateless individuals in the world;
Whereas it is imperative--

    (1) to alleviate violence and discrimination against women; and

    (2) to afford women every opportunity to be full and productive members 
of their communities;

Whereas violence, discrimination, and harmful practices against women and girls 
        are a direct result of negative social norms that undervalue females in 
        society; and
Whereas March 8, 2018, is recognized as International Women's Day, a global 
        day--

    (1) to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of 
women in the past, present, and future; and

    (2) to recognize the obstacles that women 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 a country to generate--
                    (A) economic growth;
                    (B) sustainable democracy; and
                    (C) inclusive security;
            (3) recognizes and honors individuals in the United States 
        and around the world, including women human rights defenders 
        and civil society leaders, that have worked throughout history 
        to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human 
        rights;
            (4) recognizes the unique cultural, historical, and 
        religious differences throughout the world and urges the United 
        States Government to act with respect and understanding toward 
        legitimate differences when promoting any policies;
            (5) reaffirms the commitment--
                    (A) to end discrimination and violence against 
                women and girls;
                    (B) to ensure the safety and welfare of women and 
                girls;
                    (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the basic 
                human rights of women and girls worldwide; and
                    (D) to promote meaningful and significant 
                participation of women in every aspect of society and 
                community;
            (6) supports sustainable, measurable, and global 
        development that seeks to achieve gender equality and the 
        empowerment of women; and
            (7) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
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