United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session

[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 115-68
115th Congress

An Act


 
To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation
of women in mediation and negotiation processes seeking to prevent,
mitigate, or resolve violent conflict. <>

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <>
SECTION 1. <> SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Women, Peace, and Security Act of
2017''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Around the world, women remain under-represented in
conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict
peace building efforts.
(2) Women in conflict-affected regions have achieved
significant success in--
(A) moderating violent extremism;
(B) countering terrorism;
(C) resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation
and negotiation; and
(D) stabilizing societies by enhancing the
effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping
efforts, institutions, and decisionmaking processes.
(3) Research suggests that peace negotiations are more
likely to succeed and to result in durable peace agreements when
women participate in the peace process.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the meaningful participation of women in conflict
prevention and conflict resolution processes helps to promote
more inclusive and democratic societies and is critical to the
long-term stability of countries and regions;
(2) the political participation, and leadership of women in
fragile environments, particularly during democratic
transitions, is critical to sustaining lasting democratic
institutions; and
(3) the United States should be a global leader in promoting
the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention,
management, and resolution, and post-conflict relief and
recovery efforts.

[[Page 1203]]

SEC. 4. <> STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It shall be the policy of the United States to promote the
meaningful participation of women in all aspects of overseas conflict
prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict relief and
recovery efforts, reinforced through diplomatic efforts and programs
that--
(1) integrate the perspectives and interests of affected
women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies;
(2) encourage partner governments to adopt plans to improve
the meaningful participation of women in peace and security
processes and decision-making institutions;
(3) promote the physical safety, economic security, and
dignity of women and girls;
(4) support the equal access of women to aid distribution
mechanisms and services;
(5) collect and analyze gender data for the purpose of
developing and enhancing early warning systems of conflict and
violence;
(6) adjust policies and programs to improve outcomes in
gender equality and the empowerment of women; and
(7) monitor, analyze, and evaluate the efforts related to
each strategy submitted under section 5 and the impact of such
efforts.
SEC. 5. <> UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO
PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT
PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.

(a) <> Requirement.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and again four years thereafter, the
President, in consultation with the heads of the relevant Federal
departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees and make publicly available a single government-wide
strategy, to be known as the Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, that
provides a detailed description of how the United States intends to
fulfill the policy objectives in section 4. The strategy shall--
(1) support and be aligned with plans developed by other
countries to improve the meaningful participation of women in
peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace
building, transitional processes, and decisionmaking
institutions; and
(2) include specific and measurable goals, benchmarks,
performance metrics, timetables, and monitoring and evaluation
plans to ensure the accountability and effectiveness of all
policies and initiatives carried out under the strategy.

(b) Specific Plans for Departments and Agencies.--Each strategy
under subsection (a) shall include a specific implementation plan from
each of the relevant Federal departments and agencies that describes--
(1) the anticipated contributions of the department or
agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind
contributions, to implement the strategy; and
(2) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that
the policies and initiatives carried out pursuant to the
strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term
sustainability.

[[Page 1204]]

(c) Coordination.--The President should promote the meaningful
participation of women in conflict prevention, in coordination and
consultation with international partners, including, as appropriate,
multilateral organizations, stakeholders, and other relevant
international organizations, particularly in situations in which the
direct engagement of the United States Government is not appropriate or
advisable.
(d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the
President, in implementing each strategy submitted under subsection (a),
should--
(1) provide technical assistance, training, and logistical
support to female negotiators, mediators, peace builders, and
stakeholders;
(2) address security-related barriers to the meaningful
participation of women;
(3) encourage increased participation of women in existing
programs funded by the United States Government that provide
training to foreign nationals regarding law enforcement, the
rule of law, or professional military education;
(4) support appropriate local organizations, especially
women's peace building organizations;
(5) support the training, education, and mobilization of men
and boys as partners in support of the meaningful participation
of women;
(6) encourage the development of transitional justice and
accountability mechanisms that are inclusive of the experiences
and perspectives of women and girls;
(7) expand and apply gender analysis, as appropriate, to
improve program design and targeting; and
(8) conduct assessments that include the perspectives of
women regarding new initiatives in support of peace
negotiations, transitional justice and accountability, efforts
to counter violent extremism, or security sector reform.
SEC. 6. <> TRAINING REQUIREMENTS REGARDING
THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT
PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.

(a) Foreign Service.--The Secretary of State, in conjunction with
the Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development, shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (including
special envoys, members of mediation or negotiation teams, relevant
members of the civil service or Foreign Service, and contractors)
responsible for or deploying to countries or regions considered to be at
risk of, undergoing, or emerging from violent conflict obtain training,
as appropriate, in the following areas, each of which shall include a
focus on women and ensuring meaningful participation by women:
(1) Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.
(2) Protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and
trafficking in persons.
(3) International human rights law and international
humanitarian law.

(b) Department of Defense.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure
that relevant personnel receive training, as appropriate, in the
following areas:
(1) Training in conflict prevention, peace processes,
mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that
specifically

[[Page 1205]]

addresses the importance of meaningful participation by women.
(2) Gender considerations and meaningful participation by
women, including training regarding--
(A) international human rights law and international
humanitarian law, as relevant; and
(B) protecting civilians from violence,
exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
(3) Effective strategies and best practices for ensuring
meaningful participation by women.
SEC. 7. <> CONSULTATION AND COLLABORATION.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development may establish
guidelines or take other steps to ensure overseas United States
personnel of the Department of State or the United States Agency for
International Development, as the case may be, consult with appropriate
stakeholders, including local women, youth, ethnic, and religious
minorities, and other politically under-represented or marginalized
populations, regarding United States efforts to--
(1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and
(2) enhance the success of mediation and negotiation
processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women.

(b) Collaboration and Coordination.--The Secretary of State should
work with international, regional, national, and local organizations to
increase the meaningful participation of women in international
peacekeeping operations, and should promote training that provides
international peacekeeping personnel with the substantive knowledge and
skills needed to ensure effective physical security and meaningful
participation of women in conflict prevention and peace building.
SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

(a) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the first
submission of a strategy required under section 5, the Secretary of
State, in conjunction with the Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development and the Secretary of Defense, shall brief
the appropriate congressional committees on existing, enhanced, or newly
established training carried out pursuant to section 6.
(b) <> Report on Women, Peace, and Security
Strategy.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the submission of
each strategy required under section 5, the President shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report that--
(1) summarizes and evaluates the implementation of such
strategy and the impact of United States diplomatic efforts and
foreign assistance programs, projects, and activities to promote
the meaningful participation of women;
(2) describes the nature and extent of the coordination
among the relevant Federal departments and agencies on the
implementation of such strategy;
(3) outlines the monitoring and evaluation tools,
mechanisms, and common indicators to assess progress made on the
policy objectives set forth in section 4; and
(4) describes the existing, enhanced, or newly established
training carried out pursuant to section 6.

[[Page 1206]]

SEC. 9. <> DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the
Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee
on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations
of the of the House of Representatives.
(2) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term
``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means--
(A) the United States Agency for International
Development;
(B) the Department of State;
(C) the Department of Defense;
(D) the Department of Homeland Security; and
(E) any other department or agency specified by the
President for purposes of this Act.
(3) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means non-
governmental and private sector entities engaged in or affected
by conflict prevention and stabilization, peace building,
protection, security, transition initiatives, humanitarian
response, or related efforts.

Approved October 6, 2017.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 1141 (H.R. 2484):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE REPORTS: No. 115-93 (Comm. on Foreign Relations).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
Aug. 3, considered and passed Senate.
Sept. 25, considered and passed House.