Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696590689209.pdf (United States)
III Calendar No.

361 115TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES.

426 Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 8, 2018 Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. COONS, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. CARDIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations MARCH 22, 2018 Reported by Mr. CORKER, without amendment and with an amendment to the preamble [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] RESOLUTION Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day.
Whereas, as of March 2018, 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 commu- nities; Whereas the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority for the United States; Whereas 2018 marks— (1) the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations, which was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equal- ity between women and men; (2) the 23rd anniversary of the Fourth World Con- ference on Women, at which 189 countries committed to integrating gender equality into each dimension of soci- ety; and (3) the 7th 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 re- lating to matters of war or peace; Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United States, revised in December 2017— (1) declares that societies that empower women to participate fully in civic and economic life are more pros- perous and peaceful; (2) supports efforts to advance the equality of women, protect the rights of women and girls, and pro- mote women and youth empowerment programs; and •SRES 426 RS (3) recognizes
V B B K S D n o d n a l t l a d 3 (3) recognizes that governments of countries that fail to treat women equally do not allow the societies of those countries to reach full potential; 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 be- come 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 72 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 iden- tifying 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, 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 •SRES 426 RS (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 wom- en’s groups play an influential
 role in the negotiation process; Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace In- stitute, a peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women participate in the develop- ment 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 se- curity forces; 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 the International Labor Organization, an estimated 40,300,000 people were victims of modern slavery in 2016, and 71 percent of those victims were women and girls; Whereas, according to UNICEF— (1) approximately 1⁄4 of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are victims of physical violence; and •SRES 426 RS (2) it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some form of physical or sexual vi- olence; 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 ex- ploitation and forced labor are the most prominently de- tected 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 do- mestic violence is not criminalized; Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the United States Government launched a strategy entitled ‘‘United States Strategy to Prevent and
 Respond to Gender-Based Violence Glob- ally’’, 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 for- eign policy; and (4) works to bring about a world in which all indi- viduals can pursue their aspirations without the threat of violence; Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Secu- rity Act was enacted into law, which— (1) requires the President to submit a government- wide ‘‘Women, Peace, and Security Strategy’’ describing •SRES 426 RS how the United States would promote and strengthen the participation of women in peace negotiations and conflict prevention overseas; (2) requires the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Department of Defense to train personnel in matters re- lated to the strategy of the President; (3) requires the Department of State to brief the ap- propriate congressional committees on that training; (4) encourages the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to establish guidelines for overseas personnel consulting with stakeholders regarding efforts to promote the par- ticipation of women in the mediation and negotiation processes; and (5) requires the President to evaluate the impact of the ‘‘Women, Peace, and Security Strategy’’ and report the results to Congress; Whereas, on October 27, 2017, Ambassador Michele J. Sison, United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated in a United Nations Security Council debate on women, peace, and security that— (1) the role of women in maintaining international peace and security is more critical than ever; (2) collective work is still required for women
 to gain more positions of leadership in government and civil soci- ety, and more seats at the negotiating table; (3) a growing body of evidence confirms that the in- clusion of women in peace processes helps reduce conflict and advance stability long-term; and (4) the involvement of women in efforts to bring about peace and security lead to more sustainable results; •SRES 426 RS 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 Glob- ally’’, 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 United States Government’s commit- ment 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 to the ability of a country to is critical potential achieve— (1) strong and lasting economic growth; and (2) political and social stability; Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, Sci- entific, 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 Inter- compared to uneducated as national Development, 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 edu- cation worldwide by addressing— (1) discriminatory practices; (2)
 cultural norms; (3) inadequate sanitation facilities; and •SRES 426 RS (4) other factors that favor boys; Whereas, according to the United Nations, women have ac- cess 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 eco- nomic 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 lead- ers— (1) women around the world remain vastly underrep- resented in— (A) high-level positions; and (B) national and local legislatures and govern- ments; and (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 22 percent of national parlia- mentarians 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 per- cent, but approximately 830 women die from preventable causes relating to pregnancy or childbirth each day, and •SRES 426 RS 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 be- tween 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 Commis- sioner for Refugees reports that women and girls com- prise 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, 2018, is recognized as International Wom- en’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, there- fore, be it Whereas, as of March 2018, there are more than 3,672,000,000 women in the world; Whereas women and girls around the world— (1) have fundamental rights; •SRES 426 RS 10 (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 for- eign policy priority for the United States; Whereas 2018 marks— (1) the 73rd anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations, which was the first inter- national agreement to affirm the principle of equality be- tween
 women and men; (2) the 23rd anniversary of the Fourth World Con- ference on Women, at which 189 countries committed to integrating gender equality into each dimension of society; and (3) the 7th 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 mean- ingful participation of women in decisionmaking relating to matters of war or peace; Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United States, revised in December 2017— (1) declares that ‘‘societies that empower women to participate fully in civic and economic life are more pros- perous and peaceful’’; •SRES 426 RS 11 (2) supports ‘‘efforts to advance the equality of women, protect the rights of women and girls, and promote women and youth empowerment programs’’; and (3) recognizes that ‘‘governments of countries that fail to treat women equally do not allow the societies of those countries to reach full potential’’; 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 be- come 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 72 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 enti- tled ‘‘Department of State & USAID Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism’’ and dated May 2016— (1) notes that women can play
 a critical role in iden- tifying 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, 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; •SRES 426 RS 12 (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 and women’s groups play an influential role in the nego- tiation process; Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace In- stitute, 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 secu- rity forces vastly enhances the effectiveness of the security forces; 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 the International Labor Organization, an estimated 40,300,000 people were victims of modern slavery in 2016, and 71 percent of those victims were women and girls; Whereas, according to UNICEF— (1) approximately 1⁄4 of
 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are victims of physical violence; and •SRES 426 RS 13 (2) it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some form of physical or sexual vio- lence; 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 exploi- tation 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 prev- alent form of trafficking; Whereas 603,000,000 women live in countries in which domes- tic violence is not criminalized; 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 indi- viduals can pursue their aspirations without the threat of violence; Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security Act was enacted into law, which includes requirements for a government-wide ‘‘Women, Peace, and Security Strat- egy’’ to promote and strengthen women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention overseas, en- •SRES 426 RS 14 hanced training for relevant United States
a d 14 hanced training for relevant United States Government personnel, and follow-up evaluations of the effectiveness of the strategy; Whereas, on October 27, 2017, Ambassador Michele J. Sison, United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated in a United Nations Security Council debate on women, peace, and security that— (1) ‘‘the role of women in maintaining international peace and security is more critical than ever’’; (2) ‘‘collective work is still required for women to gain more positions of leadership in government and civil society, and more seats at the negotiating table’’; (3) ‘‘a growing body of evidence confirm[s] that the inclusion of women in peace processes helps reduce conflict and advance stability long-term’’; and (4) ‘‘when women are involved in efforts to bring about peace and security, the results are more sustain- able’’; 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 con- sultations with civil society, that underscores that ‘‘pre- venting and responding to gender-based violence is a cor- nerstone of the U.S. government’s commitment to advanc- ing human rights and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’’; Whereas the ability of women and girls to realize their full po- tential is critical to the ability of a country to achieve— (1) strong and lasting economic growth; and (2) political and social stability; •SRES 426 RS 15 Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, Sci- entific, 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 Inter- national 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 in- security 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; •SRES 426 RS 16 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 lead- ers— (1) women around the world remain vastly underrep- resented in— (A) high-level positions; and (B) national and local legislatures and govern- ments; and (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 22 percent of national parliamen- tarians 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 per- cent, 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 be- tween 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 ap- proximately 1⁄2 of the 65,300,000 refugees and internally displaced or stateless individuals in the world; Whereas it is imperative— •SRES 426 RS 17 (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 so- cial norms that undervalue females in society; and Whereas March 8, 2018, is recognized as International Wom- en’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 en- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Mar 23, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm
 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR426.RS SR426 •SRES 426 RS 18 sure 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 re- spect and understanding toward legitimate dif- ferences 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 world- wide; and (D) to promote meaningful and significant participation of women in every aspect of soci- ety and community; (6) supports sustainable, measurable, and glob- al 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 appro- priate programs and activities.
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