[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2656-S2658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign 
Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 
97 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 97) supporting the goals of 
     International Women's Day.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. CORKER. I further ask unanimous consent that the Corker 
substitute to the resolution be agreed to; the resolution, as amended, 
be agreed to; the Corker substitute to the preamble be considered; the 
Lee amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the Corker substitute, as 
amended, be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the 
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with 
no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1199) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to, 
as follow:

              (Purpose: To provide a complete substitute)

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following: ``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 efforts to establish a sustainable, measurable 
     and global development framework that seeks 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.

  The resolution (S. Res. 97), as amended, was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 1200) was considered, as follows:

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas there are more than 3,500,000,000 women in the 
     world as of March 2015;
       Whereas women around the world have fundamental 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, the President 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, the 
     full and meaningful participation of women in security forces 
     vastly enhances the forces' 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, \2/3\ 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, 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 \1/3\ 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 it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the world 
     has experienced some form of physical or sexual violence;
       Whereas according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and 
     Crime's 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, women 
     account for between 55 and 60 percent of all trafficking 
     victims detected worldwide, and women and girls together make 
     up approximately 75 percent of all known trafficking victims;
       Whereas 603,000,000 women live in countries where domestic 
     violence has not been criminalized;
       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 on August 10, 2012, the President announced the 
     United States Strategy to

[[Page S2657]]

     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, the President strongly 
     condemned the practice of child marriage;
       Whereas according to the International Center for Research 
     on Women, \1/3\ of girls in the developing world are married 
     before the age of 18, and 1 in 9 girls is 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 
     integrating 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

  The amendment (No. 1201) was agreed to, as follows:

                    (Purpose: To amend the preamble)

       Strike the 13th whereas clause of the preamble and insert 
     the following:
       Whereas according to the United States Agency for 
     International Development, compared to uneducated women, 
     educated women are less likely to marry as children and more 
     likely to have healthier families;

  The amendment (No. 1200), as amended, in the nature of a substitute 
was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                               S. Res. 97

       Whereas there are more than 3,500,000,000 women in the 
     world as of March 2015;
       Whereas women around the world have fundamental 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, the President 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, the 
     full and meaningful participation of women in security forces 
     vastly enhances the forces' 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, \2/3\ 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 as children and more 
     likely to have healthier families;
       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, 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 \1/3\ 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 it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the world 
     has experienced some form of physical or sexual violence;
       Whereas according to the United Nations Office of Drugs and 
     Crime's 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, women 
     account for between 55 and 60 percent of all trafficking 
     victims detected worldwide, and women and girls together make 
     up approximately 75 percent of all known trafficking victims;
       Whereas 603,000,000 women live in countries where domestic 
     violence has not been criminalized;
       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 on August 10, 2012, the President 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, the President strongly 
     condemned the practice of child marriage;
       Whereas according to the International Center for Research 
     on Women, \1/3\ of girls in the developing world are married 
     before the age of 18, and 1 in 9 girls is 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 
     integrating 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

[[Page S2658]]

     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 efforts to establish a sustainable, measurable 
     and global development framework that seeks 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.

                          ____________________