[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5980-5981]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 5981]]

     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
       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.

                          ____________________