III 

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, and Mr. MURPHY) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

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 communities; 


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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 equality between women and men; 

(2) the 23rd anniversary of the Fourth World Conference 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 

meaningful 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 prosperous and peaceful; 

(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 beVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Mar 08, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR426.IS SR426

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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 identifying 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 

(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 womVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:00 Mar 08, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR426.IS SR426

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en’s groups play an influential role in the negotiation 

process; 

Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace Institute, 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 

security 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 

(2) it is estimated that 1 in 3 women around the 

world has experienced some form of physical or sexual violence; 

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 


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(2) while trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation 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 prevalent form of trafficking; 

Whereas 603,000,000 women live in countries in which domestic 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 individuals 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— 

(1) requires the President to submit a governmentwide ‘‘Women, Peace, and Security Strategy’’ describing 

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 related to the strategy of the President; 


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•SRES 426 IS 

(3) requires the Department of State to brief the appropriate 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 participation 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 society, and more seats at the negotiating table; 

(3) a growing body of evidence confirms that the inclusion 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; 

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 

consultations with civil society, that underscores that 

‘‘preventing and responding to gender-based violence is a 

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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 

potential is critical to the ability of a country to 

achieve— 

(1) strong and lasting economic growth; and 

(2) political and social stability; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, 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 International 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 insecurity caused by— 


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(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 leaders— 

(1) women around the world remain vastly underrepresented in— 

(A) high-level positions; and 

(B) national and local legislatures and governments; and 

(2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 

women account for only 22 percent of national parliamentarians 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 percent, 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 between the ages of 15 and 19; and 

(2) complications from pregnancy or childbirth is the 

second-leading cause of death for those girls; 


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Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that women and girls comprise 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 Women’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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals of International Women’s 

3 Day; 

4 (2) recognizes that the empowerment of women 

5 is inextricably linked to the potential of a country to 

6 generate— 

7 (A) economic growth; 

8 (B) sustainable democracy; and 

9 (C) inclusive security; 


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1 (3) recognizes and honors individuals in the 

2 United States and around the world, including 

3 women human rights defenders and civil society 

4 leaders, that have worked throughout history to en5 sure that women are guaranteed equality and basic 

6 human rights; 

7 (4) recognizes the unique cultural, historical, 

8 and religious differences throughout the world and 

9 urges the United States Government to act with re10 spect and understanding toward legitimate dif11 ferences when promoting any policies; 

12 (5) reaffirms the commitment— 

13 (A) to end discrimination and violence 

14 against women and girls; 

15 (B) to ensure the safety and welfare of 

16 women and girls; 

17 (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the 

18 basic human rights of women and girls world19 wide; and 

20 (D) to promote meaningful and significant 

21 participation of women in every aspect of soci22 ety and community; 

23 (6) supports sustainable, measurable, and glob24 al development that seeks to achieve gender equality 

25 and the empowerment of women; and 


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1 (7) encourages the people of the United States 

2 to observe International Women’s Day with appro3 priate programs and activities. 

Æ 


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