[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1693-S1694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 84--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Menendez, 
Mr. Coons, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Murphy, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Wyden) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 84

       Whereas, as of March 2017, 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 at his confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Rex 
     Tillerson--
       (1) spoke about the importance of empowering women; and
       (2) noted that there is ``study after study to confirm that 
     when you empower women in these developing parts of the 
     world, you change the future of the country'';
       Whereas 2017 marks--
       (1) the 22nd anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on 
     Women, at which 189 countries committed to integrating gender 
     equality into each dimension of society; and
       (2) the 6th 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 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 63 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

[[Page S1694]]

       (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--
       (A) services;
       (B) institutions; and
       (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, on August 30, 2015, the Secretary of State and the 
     Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 
     the United Kingdom highlighted, ``our goal must be to build 
     societies in which sexual violence is treated--legally and by 
     every institution of authority--as the serious and wholly 
     intolerable crime that it is. We have seen global campaigns 
     and calls to action draw attention to this issue and mobilize 
     governments and organizations to act. But transformation 
     requires the active participation of men and women 
     everywhere. We must settle for nothing less than a united 
     world saying no to sexual violence and yes to justice, 
     fairness and peace.'';
       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 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 Federal 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, 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 U.S. 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--
       (A) high-level positions; and
       (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, 2017, 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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