Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696590718774.pdf (United States)
III 113TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES.

74 Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 11, 2013 Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Ms. MIKULSKI, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. SCHATZ, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day.
Whereas there are more than 3,300,000,000 women in the world today; Whereas women around the world participate in the political, social, and economic life of their communities, play a crit- ical role in providing and caring for their families, con- tribute substantially to the growth of economies, and, as both farmers and caregivers, play an important role in advancing food security for their communities; Whereas the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority for the United States; Whereas, on January 30, 2013, President Barack Obama signed a presidential memorandum recognizing the need for ‘‘dedicated professionals with .
expertise and stat- ure’’ to sustain advances in the status of women and girls worldwide and directing the Secretary of State to ensure that an Ambassador-at-Large continues to lead the Office of Global Women’s Issues; Whereas, on December 19, 2011, the Obama Administration launched the first-ever United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security that included a comprehensive set of national commitments to advance the active participation of women in decision making re- lating to matters of war and peace; Whereas President Obama said, ‘‘[o]ur common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity—men and women—to reach their full potential’’; Whereas, on August 10, 2012, President Obama announced the first interagency Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally; Whereas the ability of women to realize their full potential is critical to the ability of a country to achieve strong and lasting economic growth and political and social stability; Whereas, according to the International Monetary Fund, ‘‘fo- cusing on the needs and empowerment of women is one of the keys to human development’’; Whereas, according to the 2012 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, ‘‘reducing gender inequality enhances productivity and economic growth’’; Whereas, according to the World Bank 2012 World Develop- ment Report: Gender Equality and Development, ‘‘great- er gender equality is also smart economics, enhancing productivity and improving other development outcomes, •SRES 74 ATS including prospects for the next generation and for the quality of societal policies and institutions’’; Whereas, although strides have been made in recent decades, women around the world continue to face significant ob- stacles in all aspects of their lives, including underrep- resentation in all aspects of public life, denial of
 basic human rights, and discrimination; Whereas, despite some achievements by individual women leaders, women around the world are still vastly under- represented in high level positions and in national and local legislatures and governments and, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 20.3 percent of national parliamentarians; Whereas women remain underrepresented in conflict preven- tion and conflict resolution efforts, despite proven suc- cesses by women in conflict-affected regions in moder- ating violent extremism, resolving disputes through non- violent mediation and negotiation, and stabilizing their societies by improving access to peace and security serv- ices, institutions, and decision-making venues; Whereas, according to the United Nations, 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some form of gender- based violence and 1 in 4 women has been abused during pregnancy; Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, as many as 1 in 5 women report being sexually abused be- fore the age of 15; Whereas, according to UNESCO, women account for 64 per- cent of the 796,000,000 adults worldwide who lack basic literacy skills; •SRES 74 ATS Whereas, according to the United Nations Population Fund, 1 in 9 girls in developing countries (excluding the Peo- ple’s Republic of China) will be married before the age of 15; Whereas, according to Save the Children, pregnancy-related complications are a leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in developing countries; Whereas, according to the Food and Agriculture Organiza- tion, the majority of women living in rural areas of the developing world are heavily engaged in agricultural labor, yet they receive less credit, land, agricultural in- puts, and training than their male counterparts; Whereas
 it is imperative to alleviate violence and discrimina- tion against women and afford them every opportunity to be full and productive members of their communities; and Whereas March 8 is recognized each year as International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the economic, po- litical, and social achievements of women past, present, and future, and a day to recognize the obstacles that women still face in the struggle for equal rights and op- portunities: 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 countries to generate economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security; •SRES 74 ATS 10 11 12 5 (3) recognizes and honors the women in the United States and around the world who have worked throughout history to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human rights; (4) reaffirms its commitment to ending dis- crimination and violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and welfare of women and girls, and to pursuing policies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls worldwide; and (5) encourages the people of the United States to observe International Women’s Day with appro- priate programs and activities.
•SRES 74 ATS