[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1367-S1368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

 SENATE RESOLUTION 376--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S 
                                  DAY

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Cardin, Ms. 
Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mrs. 
Feinstein, and Mr. Begich) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 376

       Whereas there are more than 3,500,000,000 women in the 
     world today;
       Whereas women around the world 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 both 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 November 15, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry 
     stated: ``Creating opportunities for women is not just the 
     right thing to do. It's also a strategic necessity. Societies 
     where women are safe, where women are empowered to exercise 
     their rights and to move their communities forward--these 
     societies are more prosperous and more stable--not 
     occasionally, but always.'';
       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 included a comprehensive 
     set of national commitments to advance the active 
     participation of women in decision making relating to matters 
     of war and peace;
       Whereas the National Action Plan states: ``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 women remain underrepresented in conflict 
     prevention and conflict resolution efforts, despite proven 
     successes by women in conflict-affected regions in moderating 
     violent extremism, countering terrorism, resolving disputes 
     through non-violent mediation and negotiation, and 
     stabilizing their societies by improving access to peace and 
     security services, institutions, and decision-making venues;
       Whereas the ability of women 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 Global Gender Gap Report 2013 
     published by the World Economic Forum, ``reducing gender 
     inequality enhances productivity and economic growth'';
       Whereas according to the United Nations Educational, 
     Scientific and Cultural Organization, two-thirds of the 
     774,000,000 illiterate people in the world are female;
       Whereas according to the United States Agency for 
     International Development, ``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 United Nations Children Fund, 
     ``adolescent girls that attend school [are more likely to] 
     delay marriage and childbearing, are less vulnerable to 
     disease including HIV and AIDS, and [are more likely to] 
     acquire information and skills that lead to increased earning 
     power. Evidence shows that the return to a year of secondary 
     education for girls correlates to a 25 percent increase in 
     wages later in life.'';
       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 World Bank, women own or partly 
     own over 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;
       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 21.4 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 UN Women, violence against women 
     causes more death and disability for women and girls between 
     the ages of 15 and 44 than cancer, war, traffic accidents, 
     and malaria combined;
       Whereas on August 10, 2012, President Obama announced the 
     first interagency Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-
     Based Violence Globally;
       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 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 Save the Children, pregnancy-related 
     complications are a leading cause of death among girls 
     between the ages of 15 and 19 in developing countries;
       Whereas according to the United Nations Population Fund, 
     women have access to fewer income-earning opportunities and 
     tend to manage the household and partake in agricultural 
     work, thus increasing their vulnerability to natural 
     disasters and long-term changes in weather patterns;
       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; 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 a day 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 the women in the United States 
     and around the world 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

[[Page S1368]]

     and girls worldwide, and to promoting meaningful and 
     significant participation of women in all aspects of their 
     societies and communities; and
       (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

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