[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1744-S1745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 101--SUPPORTING THE GOALS OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S 
                                  DAY

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Baldwin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 101

       Whereas, as of March 2019, there are approximately 
     3,700,000,000 women in the world;
       Whereas women and girls around the world--
       (1) have fundamental human rights;
       (2) play a critical role in providing and caring for their 
     families;
       (3) contribute substantially to food security, economic 
     growth, and the prevention and resolution of conflict; and
       (4) must be empowered to more fully participate in the 
     political, social, and economic lives of their communities in 
     order to accelerate the growth of healthier, more stable 
     societies;
       Whereas the advancement and empowerment of women and girls 
     around the world is a foreign policy priority for the United 
     States;
       Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United 
     States, published in December 2017--
       (1) declares that ``societies that empower women to 
     participate fully in civic and economic life are more 
     prosperous and peaceful'';
       (2) supports ``efforts to advance women's equality, protect 
     the rights of women and girls, and promote women and youth 
     empowerment programs''; and
       (3) recognizes that ``governments that fail to treat women 
     equally do not allow their societies to reach their 
     potential'';
       Whereas the United States National Action Plan on Women, 
     Peace, and Security, revised in June 2016, 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 peacebuilding and conflict prevention, when 
     their lives are protected, their voices heard, and their 
     perspectives taken into account.'';
       Whereas there are 79 national action plans relating to the 
     empowerment of women around the world, 11 regional action 
     plans, and 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
       (2) commits to supporting programs that engage women ``as 
     key stakeholders in preventing and countering violent 
     extremism in their communities'';
       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, despite the contributions of women to society, 
     hundreds of millions of women and girls around the world 
     continue to be denied the right to participate freely in 
     civic and economic life, lack fundamental legal protections, 
     and are left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse;
       Whereas, every year, approximately 12,000,000 girls are 
     married before they reach the age of 18, which means that--
       (1) nearly 33,000 girls are married every day; or
       (2) nearly 23 girls are married every minute;
       Whereas, according to the International Labour 
     Organization, 71 percent of the estimated 40,300,000 victims 
     of modern slavery in 2016 were women or girls, with girls 
     representing 3 out of every 4 child trafficking victims;
       Whereas, according to UNICEF--
       (1) approximately \1/4\ of girls between the ages of 15 and 
     19 are victims of physical violence;
       (2) approximately 15,000,000 girls between the ages of 15 
     and 19 have experienced rape or other forced sexual acts; and
       (3) an estimated 1 in 3 women around the world has 
     experienced some form of physical or sexual violence;
       Whereas, according to the 2018 report of the United Nations 
     Office on Drugs and Crime entitled ``Global Report on 
     Trafficking in Persons'', 72 percent of all detected 
     trafficking victims are women or girls;
       Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the United States 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 that strategy, underscoring 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, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender 
     Equality and the Empowerment of Women (commonly referred to 
     as ``UN Women''), peace negotiations are more likely to end 
     in a peace agreement when women and women's groups play a 
     meaningful 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, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security 
     Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2152j et seq.) was enacted into law, 
     which includes requirements for a government-wide ``Women, 
     Peace, and Security Strategy'' to promote and strengthen 
     women's participation in peace negotiations and conflict 
     prevention overseas, enhanced training for relevant United 
     States Government personnel, and follow-up evaluations of the 
     effectiveness of the strategy;
       Whereas, on October 25, 2018, Ambassador Jonathan Cohen, 
     United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the United 
     Nations, stated in the United Nations Security

[[Page S1745]]

     Council Annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security 
     that--
       (1) ``promoting women's equal and meaningful inclusion and 
     participation across efforts to restore security, promote 
     democracy and good governance, and support economic 
     development are not women's issues; they are vital national 
     security issues'';
       (2) ``our experience shows that women often have the best 
     understanding of the needs of their communities'';
       (3) ``the United States believes strongly that countries 
     with high rates of gender inequality are more likely to 
     experience instability and deadly conflict . . . [m]eaningful 
     participation of women at all levels of security work, 
     including in uniform, can help counteract this worrying 
     trend'';
       (4) ``empowering women economically starts with ensuring 
     girls have access to education . . . [g]irls suffer most when 
     there are attacks on schools or when combatants misuse 
     schools to support combatant operations'';
       (5) ``if we hope to prevent conflicts and build lasting 
     peace, promote better governance, and advance sustainable 
     economic growth, we must empower women as full and equal 
     partners at every step''; and
       (6) ``women are half the population . . . [i]t's only right 
     that they be full participants in the discussions and 
     decisions that shape our present and those that will shape 
     our futures'';
       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 24.1 percent of national parliamentarians 
     and 18.3 percent of government ministers;
       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, self-reliance, 
     and political and social stability;
       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 and secondary 
     education, and particularly in secondary education worldwide 
     as gender gaps persist and widen, by addressing--
       (1) discriminatory practices;
       (2) cultural norms;
       (3) inadequate sanitation facilities;
       (4) child, early, and forced marriage; and
       (5) other factors that favor boys or devalue girls' 
     education;
       Whereas women around the world face a variety of 
     constraints that severely limit their economic participation 
     and productivity and remain underrepresented in the labor 
     force;
       Whereas women's economic empowerment is inextricably linked 
     to a myriad of other human rights that are essential to the 
     ability of women to thrive as economic actors, including--
       (1) living lives free of violence and exploitation;
       (2) achieving the highest possible standard of health and 
     well-being;
       (3) enjoying full legal and human rights, such as access to 
     registration, identification, and citizenship documents, and 
     freedom of movement;
       (4) benefitting from formal and informal education;
       (5) benefitting from equal protection of and access to land 
     and property rights;
       (6) receiving access to fundamental labor rights;
       (7) the implementation of policies to address 
     disproportionate care burdens; and
       (8) receiving business and management skills and leadership 
     opportunities;
       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, pursuant to section 3(b) of the Women's 
     Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (Public 
     Law 115-428), it is the international development cooperation 
     policy of the United States--
       (1) to reduce gender disparities with respect to economic, 
     social, political, educational, and cultural resources, 
     wealth, opportunities, and services;
       (2) to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and 
     mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities 
     including through efforts to develop standards and capacity 
     to reduce gender-based violence in the workplace and other 
     places where women work;
       (3) to support activities that secure private property 
     rights and land tenure for women in developing countries, 
     including--
       (A) legal frameworks that give women equal rights to own, 
     register, use, profit from, and inherit land and property;
       (B) improving legal literacy to enable women to exercise 
     the rights described in subparagraph (A); and
       (C) improving the capacity of law enforcement and community 
     leaders to enforce such rights;
       (4) to increase the capability of women and girls to fully 
     exercise their rights, determine their life outcomes, assume 
     leadership roles, and influence decision making in 
     households, communities, and societies; and
       (5) to improve the access of women and girls to education, 
     particularly higher education opportunities in business, 
     finance, and management, in order to enhance financial 
     literacy and business development, management, and strategy 
     skills;
       Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, global 
     maternal mortality decreased by approximately 44 percent 
     between 1990 and 2015, yet approximately 830 women and girls 
     continue to die from preventable causes relating to pregnancy 
     or childbirth each day, and 99 percent of all maternal deaths 
     occur in developing countries;
       Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner 
     for Refugees reports that women and girls comprise 
     approximately \1/2\ of the 68,500,000 refugees and internally 
     displaced or stateless individuals in the world;
       Whereas it is imperative--
       (1) to alleviate violence and discrimination against women 
     and girls; and
       (2) to afford women every opportunity to be full and 
     productive members of their communities; and
       Whereas March 8, 2019, 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, who 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, health, and welfare of women and 
     girls;
       (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the fundamental 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 girls; and
       (7) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

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