[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 41 (Friday, March 9, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2988-S2989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 103, which was
submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 103) commending the Kingdom of
Lesotho on the occasion of International Women's Day, for the
enactment of a law to improve the status of married women and
ensure the access of married women to property rights.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. LUGAR. Madam President, I rise today, International Women's Day,
in support of this resolution celebrating some of the progress that we
and other nations are making in fostering improvement in the status of
women. The resolution commends the Kingdom of Lesotho for enacting the
Legal Capacity of Married Persons law which elevates the status of
married women and provides them with property rights. Prior to this
law, married women in Lesotho were considered legal minors, denying
them the right to enter into binding contracts or have standing in
civil court.
International Women's Day is a day on which we reaffirm the
commitment to the struggle by women worldwide for peace, justice, and
equality before the law. We also take this opportunity to recognize how
far we have come since the first International Women's Day was
celebrated in the United States in 1909 when American women were still
fighting for the right to vote and a role in the political process.
Today we are able to celebrate the many accomplishments by women
worldwide in the areas of health, science, education, and politics. In
the past year, we have seen the appointment of our first female Speaker
of the House, Nancy Pelosi. President Bush's cabinet now includes a
record number of women--Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary
of Education Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, and
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. Women now comprise a record
percentage of the 110th Congress, including 16 senators and 71
representatives. Women are gaining seats in parliaments worldwide. For
example, last November Lateefa al-Qauod became the first woman to be
elected to Bahrain's parliament and became one of the first women to
serve in an elected parliament in the Gulf region.
The U.S. is rededicating itself to improving the status of women
worldwide. For example, the Millennium Challenge Corporation announced
a new policy in December 2006 stating that countries receiving
financial assistance would be responsible for extensive planning to
ensure that all programs benefit both men and women. This required
gender analysis would factor in social, economic, and cultural barriers
faced by women and men when engaging in economic activity and would
result in better-designed international development projects.
The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small country surrounded by South Africa.
Lesotho faces serious challenges--50 percent of the population lives
below the poverty line and 23 percent of the population is infected
with HIV. Given its commitment to good governance and investment in its
people, Lesotho has qualified for financial assistance through the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). MCC assistance is pending the
finalization of Lesotho's Compact which is expected to focus on
improving health care and water resource management.
The MCC helped catalyze the passage of the Legal Capacity of Married
Persons law in Lesotho by stressing that potential MCC financing would
be more effective if gender equity were addressed. Subsequently,
Lesotho passed the Legal Capacity of Married Persons legislation. Under
this new legislation, women are considered equal partners in marriage
and are able to enter into binding contracts and have a standing in
civil court. We applaud the Kingdom of Lesotho for demonstrating such a
commitment to justice, equality, and fighting corruption at every
level.
The problems faced by women today require a continuation of our
commitment to end them. International Women's Day is a day for us to
declare our determination to advance the rights of women worldwide, but
also to recognize the many accomplishments made by women on a global
scale.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 103) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 103
Whereas International Women's Day, observed on March 8 each
year, has become a day on which people come together to
recognize the accomplishments of women and to reaffirm their
commitment to continue the struggle for equality, justice,
and peace;
Whereas the Kingdom of Lesotho is a parliamentary
constitutional monarchy that has been an independent country
since 1966;
Whereas Lesotho is a low income country with a gross
national income per capita of $960 and 50 percent of the
population lives below the poverty line;
Whereas, in Lesotho, the HIV prevalence is estimated at 23
percent for the total adult population and 56 percent for
pregnant women between the ages of 25 and 29, and the current
average life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 34.4
years;
Whereas the Kingdom of Lesotho, referred to by some as the
``Kingdom in the Sky'', was a strong public supporter of the
end of apartheid in South Africa and the Government of
Lesotho granted political asylum to a number of refugees from
South Africa during the apartheid era;
Whereas the Government of Lesotho has demonstrated a strong
commitment to ruling justly, investing in people, ensuring
economic freedom, and controlling corruption;
Whereas the Government of Lesotho has been named eligible
by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for a Compact
of financial assistance that, as currently proposed, would
strongly focus on improving and safeguarding the health of
the people of Lesotho, in addition to supporting projects for
sustainable water resource management and private sector
development;
Whereas historically a married woman in Lesotho was
considered a legal minor during the lifetime of her husband,
was severely restricted in economic activities, was unable to
enter into legally binding contracts without her husband's
consent, and had no standing in civil court;
Whereas legislation elevating the legal status of married
women and providing property and inheritance rights to women
in Lesotho was introduced as early as 1992;
Whereas for years women's groups, nongovernmental
organizations, the Federation of Women Lawyers, officials of
the Government of Lesotho, and others in Lesotho have pushed
for passage of legislation strengthening rights of married
women;
Whereas in a letter to the Government of Lesotho in
September 2006, the chief executive officer of the MCC stated
that gender inequality is a constraint on economic growth and
poverty reduction and is related to the high prevalence of
HIV/AIDS, and that inattention to issues of gender inequality
could undermine the potential impact of the Compact proposed
to be entered into between the MCC and the Government of
Lesotho;
Whereas the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act was
passed by the Parliament of Lesotho and enacted into law in
November 2006;
Whereas the MCC has already provided assistance to further
full and meaningful implementation of the new law;
Whereas the MCC has promulgated and is currently
implementing a new gender policy to integrate gender into all
phases of the development and implementation of the Compact
between the MCC and the Government of Lesotho; and
[[Page S2989]]
Whereas the MCC's advocacy of gender equity played a
supportive role in the enactment of the Legal Capacity of
Married Persons Act in the Kingdom of Lesotho: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) acknowledges the observance of March 8, 2007, as
International Women's Day;
(2) applauds the enactment of the Legal Capacity of Married
Persons Act by the Kingdom of Lesotho;
(3) lauds the Kingdom of Lesotho for demonstrating its
commitment to improve gender equity;
(4) encourages the Kingdom of Lesotho to continue its
effort to ensure gender equity; and
(5) commends the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for
developing and implementing policies to advance gender equity
in the Kingdom of Lesotho and other countries eligible for
financial assistance from the MCC.
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