III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 533 

Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 5, 2020 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. MURPHY, and Ms. BALDWIN) 

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 2020, there are approximately 

3,764,000,000 women and girls in the world; 

Whereas women and girls around the world— 

(1) have fundamental human rights; 

(2) play a critical role in providing and caring for 

their families and driving positive change in their communities; 

(3) contribute substantially to food security, economic growth, the prevention and resolution of conflict, 

and the sustainability of peace and stability; and 

(4) must have meaningful opportunities to more 

fully participate in and lead the political, social, and economic lives of their communities; 


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Whereas the advancement and empowerment of women and 

girls around the world is a foreign policy priority for the 

United States and is critical to the achievement of global 

peace and prosperity; 

Whereas 2020 marks the anniversary of significant milestones toward advancing the human rights and equality 

of women and girls, including— 

(1) the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in 

the United States; and 

(2) the 20th anniversary of the Women, Peace, and 

Security Agenda, which was established through the 

unanimous adoption of United Nations Security Council 

Resolution 1325 in October 2000; 

Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United States, 

published in December 2017— 

(1) declares that ‘‘[s]ocieties that empower women 

to participate fully in civic and economic life are more 

prosperous and peaceful’’; 

(2) supports ‘‘efforts to advance women’s equality, 

protect the rights of women and girls, and promote 

women and youth empowerment programs’’; and 

(3) recognizes that ‘‘governments that fail to treat 

women equally do not allow their societies to reach their 

potential’’; 

Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2152j et seq.) was enacted 

into law, which includes requirements for a governmentwide ‘‘Women, Peace, and Security Strategy’’ to promote 

and strengthen the participation of women in peace negotiations and conflict prevention overseas, enhanced training for relevant United States Government personnel, 


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and follow-up evaluations of the effectiveness of the strategy; 

Whereas the United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and 

Security, dated June 2019, recognizes that— 

(1) the ‘‘[s]ocial and political marginalization of 

women strongly correlates with the likelihood that a 

country will experience conflict’’; 

(2) there is a ‘‘tremendous amount of untapped potential among the world’s women and girls to identify, 

recommend, and implement effective solutions to conflict’’, and there are ‘‘benefits derived from creating opportunities for women and girls to serve as agents of 

peace via political, economic, and social empowerment’’; 

and 

(3) barriers to the meaningful participation of 

women and girls in conflict prevention and resolution efforts ‘‘include under-representation in political leadership, 

pervasive violence against women and girls, and persistent inequality in many societies’’; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender 

Equality and the Empowerment of Women (commonly referred to as ‘‘UN Women’’), peace negotiations are more 

likely to end in a peace agreement when women and 

women’s groups play a meaningful 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 there are 83 national action plans relating to the 

empowerment of women around the world, 11 regional 


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action plans, and at least 9 additional national action 

plans in development; 

Whereas the joint strategy of the Department of State and 

the United States Agency for International Development 

(USAID) 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, according to the Bureau of International Narcotics 

and Law Enforcement Affairs of the Department of 

State, the full and meaningful participation of women in 

criminal justice professions and security forces vastly enhances the effectiveness of the security forces; 

Whereas, despite the contributions of women to society, hundreds of millions of women and girls around the world 

continue to be denied the right to participate freely in 

civic and economic life, lack fundamental legal protections, and remain vulnerable to exploitation and abuse; 

Whereas, every year, approximately 12,000,000 girls are married before they reach the age of 18, which means that— 

(1) nearly 33,000 girls are married every day; or 

(2) nearly 23 girls are married every minute; 

Whereas, despite global progress, it is predicted that by 2030 

more than 150,000,000 more girls will marry before 

reaching the age of 18, and approximately 2,400,000 


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girls who are married before reaching the age of 18 are 

under the age of 15; 

Whereas girls living in countries affected by conflict or other 

humanitarian crises are often the most vulnerable to 

child marriage, and 9 of the 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are considered fragile or extremely fragile; 

Whereas, according to the International Labour Organization, 71 percent of the estimated 40,300,000 victims of 

modern slavery in 2016 were women or girls; 

Whereas, according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund 

(commonly referred to as ‘‘UNICEF’’)— 

(1) approximately 1⁄4 of girls between the ages of 15 

and 19 are victims of physical violence; 

(2) approximately 120,000,000 girls worldwide, 

slightly more than 1 in 10, have experienced forced sexual acts; and 

(3) an estimated 1 in 3 women around the world has 

experienced some form of physical or sexual violence; 

Whereas, according to the 2018 report of the United Nations 

Office on Drugs and Crime entitled ‘‘Global Report on 

Trafficking in Persons’’, 72 percent of all detected trafficking victims are women or girls; 

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; 


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(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, in June 2016, the Department of State released an 

update to that strategy, underscoring that ‘‘[p]reventing 

and responding to gender-based violence is a cornerstone 

of the U.S. Government’s commitment to advancing 

human rights and promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’’; 

Whereas, despite the achievements of individual female leaders and evidence that democracy and equality under the 

law form a mutually reinforcing relationship in which 

higher levels of equality are strongly correlated with the 

relative state of peace of a country, a healthier domestic 

security environment, and lower levels of aggression toward other countries— 

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

(A) national and local legislatures and governments; and 

(B) other high-level positions; and 

(2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 

women account for only 25 percent of national parliamentarians and 21 percent of government ministers; 

Whereas the ability of women and girls to realize their full 

potential is critical to the ability of a country to achieve 

strong and lasting economic growth, self-reliance, and political and social stability; 

Whereas the overall level of violence against women is a better predictor of the peacefulness of a country, the compliVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR533.IS SR533

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ance of a country with international treaty obligations, 

and the relations of a country with neighboring countries 

than indicators measuring the level of democracy, level of 

wealth, or level of institutionalization of the country; 

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 and secondary education, and particularly in secondary education 

worldwide as gender gaps persist and widen, by addressing— 

(1) discriminatory practices; 

(2) harmful cultural and social norms; 

(3) inadequate sanitation facilities, including facilities to manage menstruation; 

(4) child, early, and forced marriage; 

(5) poverty; 

(6) early pregnancy and motherhood; 

(7) conflict and insecurity; and 

(8) other factors that favor boys or devalue girls’ 

education; 

Whereas, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization— 

(1) approximately 129,200,000 girls between the 

ages of 6 and 17 remain out of school; 

(2) girls living in countries affected by conflict are 

2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys; 

(3) girls are twice as likely as boys to never set foot 

in a classroom; and 

(4) up to 30 percent of girls who drop out of school 

do so because of adolescent pregnancy or child marriage; 


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Whereas women around the world face a variety of constraints that severely limit their economic participation 

and productivity and remain underrepresented in the 

labor force; 

Whereas the economic empowerment of women is inextricably 

linked to a myriad of other human rights that are essential to the ability of women to thrive as economic actors, 

including— 

(1) living lives free of violence and exploitation; 

(2) achieving the highest possible standard of health 

and well-being; 

(3) enjoying full legal and human rights, such as access to registration, identification, and citizenship documents, and freedom of movement; 

(4) access to formal and informal education; 

(5) access to, and equal protection under, land and 

property rights; 

(6) access to fundamental labor rights; 

(7) the implementation of policies to address disproportionate care burdens; and 

(8) receiving business and management skills and 

leadership opportunities; 

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, pursuant to section 3(b) of the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (22 

U.S.C. 2151–2(b)), it is the international development 

cooperation policy of the United States— 

(1) to reduce gender disparities with respect to economic, social, political, educational, and cultural resources, as well as wealth, opportunities, and services; 


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(2) to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and 

mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities, including through efforts to develop standards and 

capacity to reduce gender-based violence in the workplace 

and other places where women work; 

(3) to support activities that secure private property 

rights and land tenure for women in developing countries, 

including— 

(A) supporting legal frameworks that give 

women equal rights to own, register, use, profit 

from, and inherit land and property; 

(B) improving legal literacy to enable women to 

exercise the rights described in subparagraph (A); 

and 

(C) improving the capacity of law enforcement 

and community leaders to enforce such rights; 

(4) to increase the capability of women and girls to 

fully exercise their rights, determine their life outcomes, 

assume leadership roles, and influence decision making in 

households, communities, and societies; and 

(5) to improve the access of women and girls to education, particularly higher education opportunities in 

business, finance, and management, in order to enhance 

financial literacy and business development, management, 

and strategy skills; 

Whereas, pursuant to National Security Presidential Memorandum 16, entitled ‘‘Promoting Women’s Global Development and Prosperity’’, ‘‘It is the policy of the United 

States to enhance the opportunity for women to meaningfully participate in, contribute to, and benefit from economic opportunities as individuals, workers, consumers, 

innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors, so that they 

enjoy the same access, rights, and opportunities as men 


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to participate in, contribute to, control, and benefit from 

economic activity.’’; 

Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, global 

maternal mortality decreased by approximately 44 percent between 1990 and 2015, yet approximately 830 

women and girls continue to 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 United Nations Population Fund, 

of the 830 women and adolescent girls who die every day 

from preventable causes relating to pregnancy and childbirth, 507 die each day in countries that are considered 

fragile because of conflict or disaster, accounting for approximately 3⁄5 of all maternal deaths worldwide; 

Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that women and girls comprise approximately 1⁄2 of the 67,200,000 refugees and 

internally displaced or stateless individuals in the world; 

Whereas women and girls in humanitarian emergencies, including those subject to forced displacement, face increased and exacerbated vulnerabilities to— 

(1) gender-based violence, including, rape, child marriage, domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual 

exploitation and assault; 

(2) disruptions in education and livelihood; 

(3) lack of access to comprehensive health services 

and information; and 

(4) food insecurity and malnutrition; 

Whereas malnutrition poses a variety of threats to women 

and girls specifically, as malnutrition can weaken their 

immune systems, making them more susceptible to infecVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:30 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR533.IS SR533

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tions, and affects their capacity to survive childbirth, and 

children born of malnourished women and girls are more 

likely to have cognitive impairments and higher risk of 

disease throughout their lives; 

Whereas it is imperative— 

(1) to alleviate violence and discrimination against 

women and girls; and 

(2) to afford women and girls every opportunity to 

be full and productive members of their communities; and 

Whereas March 8, 2020, 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 ability of women and 

5 girls to fully access and enjoy fundamental human 

6 rights has intrinsic value that affects their quality of 

7 life and ability to determine their own futures; 

8 (3) recognizes that the empowerment of women 

9 and girls is inextricably linked to the potential of a 

10 country to generate— 

11 (A) economic growth and self-reliance; 

12 (B) sustainable peace and democracy; and 


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1 (C) inclusive security; 

2 (4) recognizes and honors individuals in the 

3 United States and around the world, including 

4 women human rights defenders, girl activists, and 

5 civil society leaders, who have worked throughout 

6 history to ensure that women and girls are guaran7 teed equality and fundamental human rights; 

8 (5) recognizes the unique cultural, historical, 

9 and religious differences throughout the world and 

10 urges the United States Government to act with re11 spect and understanding toward legitimate dif12 ferences when promoting any policies; 

13 (6) reaffirms the commitment— 

14 (A) to end discrimination and violence 

15 against women and girls; 

16 (B) to ensure the safety, health, and wel17 fare of women and girls; 

18 (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the 

19 fundamental human rights of women and girls 

20 worldwide; and 

21 (D) to promote meaningful and significant 

22 participation of women in every aspect of soci23 ety and community, including conflict preven24 tion, protection, peacemaking, and 

25 peacebuilding; 


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1 (7) supports sustainable, measurable, and glob2 al development that seeks to achieve gender equality 

3 and the empowerment of women and girls; and 

4 (8) encourages the people of the United States 

5 to observe International Women’s Day with appro6 priate programs and activities. 

Æ 


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