Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women, Peace, and Security Act of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Around the world, women remain under-represented in 
        conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict 
        peace building efforts.
            (2) Despite the historic under-representation of women in 
        conflict resolution processes, women in conflict-affected 
        regions have nevertheless 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 decision-making processes.
            (3) Research shows that--
                    (A) peace negotiations are more likely to end in a 
                peace agreement when women's groups play an influential 
                role in the negotiation process;
                    (B) once reached, a peace agreement is 35 percent 
                more likely to last at least 15 years if women have 
                participated in the negotiation process; and
                    (C) when women meaningfully participate, peace 
                negotiations are more likely to address the underlying 
                causes of the conflict, leading to more sustainable 
                outcomes.

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.

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 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 October 1, 2017, October 1, 2022, 
and October 1, 2027, 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 decision-making 
        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 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.
    (c) Department of State Implementation.--Within each relevant 
bureau of the Department of State, the Secretary of State shall task 
the current Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the 
responsibility for the implementation of the strategy under subsection 
(a) and the specific implementation plan for the Department under 
subsection (b), with respect to the roles and responsibilities of such 
bureau. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaries tasked with such 
responsibility shall meet, at least twice a year, to review the 
implementation of the strategy and the plan and to contribute to the 
report under section 8(b).
    (d) Coordination.--The President should promote the meaningful 
participation of women in conflict prevention, in coordination and 
consultation with international partners, including multilateral 
organizations, stakeholders, and other relevant international 
organizations, particularly in situations in which the direct 
engagement of the United States is not appropriate or advisable.
    (e) 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) increase the 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 to improve program 
        design and targeting; and
            (8) conduct assessments that include the perspectives of 
        women before implementing any 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 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 shall establish 
guidelines for overseas United States personnel of the Department or 
the Agency, as the case may be, to consult with stakeholders 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) Frequency and Scope.--The consultations required under 
subsection (a) shall take place regularly and include a range and 
representative sample of stakeholders, including local women, youth, 
ethnic and religious minorities, and other politically under-
represented or marginalized populations.
    (c) 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.--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, not later than 1 year after the date of the first 
submission of a strategy required under section 5, on--
            (1) existing, enhanced, and newly established training 
        carried out pursuant to section 6; and
            (2) the guidelines established for overseas United States 
        personnel to engage in consultations with stakeholders, 
        pursuant to section 7.
    (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 in section 4; and
            (4) describes the existing, enhanced, and newly established 
        training carried out pursuant to section 6.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign 
                Relations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
                of the House of Representatives.
            (2) 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, including--
                    (A) registered or non-registered nonprofit 
                organizations, advocacy groups, business or trade 
                associations, labor unions, cooperatives, credit 
                unions, relief or development organizations, community 
                and faith-based organizations, philanthropic 
                foundations, and tribal leaders or structures;
                    (B) independent media, educational, or research 
                institutions; and
                    (C) private enterprises, including international 
                development firms, banks, and other financial 
                institutions, particularly small businesses and 
                businesses owned by women or disadvantaged groups.
            (3) Meaningful participation.--The term ``meaningful 
        participation'' means safe, genuine, and effective access to, 
        and present and active involvement in the full range of formal 
        or informal processes related to negotiation or mediation with 
        respect to any efforts toward the following:
                    (A) Conflict prevention.
                    (B) Resolution or mitigation of, or transition 
                from, violent conflict.
                    (C) Peacekeeping and peace building.
                    (D) Post-conflict reconstruction, transition 
                initiatives, elections, and governance.
                    (E) Humanitarian response and recovery.
            (4) 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 15, 2016.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.

Summary: Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should be a global leader in promoting the participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts. And (2) the political participation and leadership of women in fragile environments, particularly during democratic transitions, is critical to sustaining democratic institutions. The President, not later than October 1 of 2017, 2022, and 2027, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and make public a Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, which shall: be aligned with other nations' plans to improve the participation of women in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace building, and decision-making institutions. And include goals and evaluation plans to ensure strategy effectiveness. Such a strategy shall include a specific implementation plan from each relevant federal agency. The President is urged to promote women's participation in conflict prevention. It is the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) provide technical assistance and training to female negotiators, peace builders, and stakeholders, (2) address security-related barriers to women's participation. (3) increase women's participation in US-funded programs that provide foreign nationals with law enforcement, rule of law, or military education training, (4) support appropriate local organizations, especially women's peace building organizations. And (5) expand gender analysis to improve program design. The Department of State shall ensure that personnel responsible for, or deploying to, countries or regions considered to be at risk of undergoing, or emerging from, violent conflict obtain training in the following areas, each of which shall include a focus on ensuring participation by women: conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution, protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons. And international human rights law. The Department of Defense shall ensure that relevant personnel receive training in: conflict prevention, peace processes, mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that addresses the importance of participation by women. And gender considerations and participation by women, including training regarding international human rights law and protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons. The State Department and the US Agency for International Development shall establish guidelines for overseas US personnel to consult with stakeholders regarding US efforts to: prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict. And enhance the success of mediation and negotiation processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women. The State Department is urged to work with international, regional, national, and local organizations to increase the participation of women in international peacekeeping operations. The State Department shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) training regarding the participation of women in conflict resolution, and (2) guidelines established for overseas personnel to engage in stakeholder consultations. The President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that evaluates the implementation of such strategy and the impact of US diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance programs to promote the participation of women.