[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5580-5581]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING HAFSAT ABIOLA, KHANIM LATIF, YOANI SANCHEZ, AND AKANKSHA 
HAZARI FOR THEIR SELFLESSNESS AND DEDICATION TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CAUSES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 450, S. Res. 418.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 418) recognizing Hafsat Abiola, 
     Khanim Latif, Yoani Sanchez, and Akanksha Hazari for their 
     selflessness and dedication to their respective causes, and 
     for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to honor and congratulate the 
Vital Voices Global Partnership and the 2016 Vital Voices Award 
recipients.
  Over the last 15 years, the Vital Voices Global Partnership has 
trained and mentored more than 14,000 women in 144 countries. Vital 
Voices equips these women leaders with the management, business 
development, marketing, and communication skills required to expand 
their enterprises, provide for their families, and create jobs in their 
communities. By helping to identify, invest in, and bring visibility to 
these extraordinary women around the world, Vital Voices is helping to 
unleash the enormous leadership potential of these women to transform 
lives and accelerate the pace of peace and prosperity.
  This year's award recipients include: Hafsat Abiola of Nigeria, 
founder of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy that campaigns to end 
violence against women--Hafsat trains young female leaders and works to 
increase civic participation; Khanim Latif of Iraq, the director of 
Asuda--Khanim places her life at risk to provide safe-haven to victims 
of sexual and gender-based violence, works to protect survivors of 
domestic violence, and fights threats of honor killings, female genital 
cutting, and sexual violence; Yoani Sanchez of Cuba, creator of 
Generacion Y--Yoani created this blog in April 2007 to capture daily 
life in Cuba in an effort to encourage political change and increase 
public awareness and engagement; and Akanksha Hazari of India--

[[Page 5581]]

Akanksha fights to deliver basic necessities such as clean water and 
electricity to impoverished communities and to empower the underserved 
in India.
  Such leaders, through their selfless efforts and advocacy, continue 
to advance social justice, support democracy, and work to increase 
stability across the globe.
  I am pleased to have submitted this resolution, along with my friend 
and colleague Senator Feinstein, recognizing the 2016 Vital Voices 
Global Partnership Award recipients and commending them for their 
efforts to advance economic opportunity, increase political and public 
leadership, combat violence against women, and empower women to address 
global instability.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble 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 resolution (S. Res. 418) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in the Record of April 
12, 2016, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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