[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 445 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 445

 Calling on the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of 
               All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2023

Ms. Norton (for herself, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Omar, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Titus, 
 and Ms. Wilson of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling on the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of 
               All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human 
        beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights without distinction 
        of any kind, including distinction based on sex;
Whereas the World Bank estimates that around 2,400,000,000 women of working age 
        are not afforded equal economic opportunity, and 179 countries maintain 
        legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that nearly one in five young women 
        globally are married before the age of 18;
Whereas the World Bank estimates that women globally have only three-quarters of 
        the legal rights afforded to men;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that it would take another 40 years for 
        women and men to be equally represented in national governments;
Whereas the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
        Discrimination Against Women (referred to hereafter as ``CEDAW'') 
        condemns discrimination against women in all its forms, and establishes 
        an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women and 
        ensure the advancement of women in education, employment, and health 
        care and in political, social, economic, and cultural fields through 
        legislative action and legal protections;
Whereas the CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, 
        and signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, but has never been brought 
        before the full Senate for a vote;
Whereas 189 countries have ratified the CEDAW, and the United States joins only 
        Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tongo in not ratifying the CEDAW;
Whereas dozens of cities, counties, and States in the United States have passed 
        resolutions in support of CEDAW's ratification;
Whereas San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Clara, Cincinnati, 
        Pittsburgh, Honolulu, and Miami-Dade County have passed binding local 
        ordinances to implement the principles of the CEDAW;
Whereas, on January 10, 2023, the District of Columbia enacted the Elimination 
        of Discrimination Against Women Amendment Act, which requires that all 
        District government agencies conduct gender analyses every 2 years, that 
        the Commission for Women develop a District-wide action plan to 
        eliminate discrimination against women, and that the Commission for 
        Women provide training on gender equity and human rights to District 
        government employees, in accordance with the principles of the CEDAW; 
        and
Whereas President Joseph R. Biden supported ratification of the CEDAW when he 
        was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls upon the Senate 
to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
Discrimination Against Women.
                                 <all>