I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5332 

To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation 

of women in mediation and negotiations processes seeking to prevent, 

mitigate, or resolve violent conflict. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2016 

Mrs. NOEM (for herself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. ROYCE, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful 

participation of women in mediation and negotiations 

processes seeking to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent 

conflict. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women, Peace, and 

5 Security Act of 2016’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Around the world, women remain under4 represented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, 

5 and post-conflict peace building efforts. 

6 (2) Despite the historic under-representation of 

7 women in conflict resolution processes, women in 

8 conflict-affected regions have nevertheless achieved 

9 significant success in— 

10 (A) moderating violent extremism; 

11 (B) countering terrorism; 

12 (C) resolving disputes through nonviolent 

13 mediation and negotiation; and 

14 (D) stabilizing societies by enhancing the 

15 effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping 

16 efforts, institutions, and decisionmaking proc17 esses. 

18 (3) Research shows that— 

19 (A) peace negotiations are more likely to 

20 end in a peace agreement when women’s groups 

21 play an influential role in the negotiation proc22 ess; 

23 (B) once reached, a peace agreement is 35 

24 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if 

25 women have participated in the negotiation 

26 process; and 


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1 (C) when women meaningfully participate, 

2 peace negotiations are more likely to address 

3 the conflict’s underlying causes, leading to more 

4 sustainable outcomes. 

5 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) the meaningful participation of women in 

8 conflict prevention and conflict resolution processes 

9 helps to promote more inclusive and democratic soci10 eties and is critical to the long-term stability of 

11 countries and regions; and 

12 (2) the United States should be a global leader 

13 in promoting the meaningful participation of women 

14 in conflict prevention, management, and resolution, 

15 and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts. 

16 SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

17 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

18 of the United States to promote the meaningful participa19 tion of women in all aspects of conflict prevention, man20 agement, and resolution, reinforced through diplomatic ef21 forts and programs that— 

22 (1) integrate the perspectives and interests of 

23 affected women into conflict-prevention activities and 

24 strategies; 


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1 (2) encourage partner governments to adopt 

2 plans to improve the meaningful participation of 

3 women in peace and security processes and decision4 making institutions; 

5 (3) promote the physical safety, economic secu6 rity, and dignity of women and girls; 

7 (4) support the equal access of women to aid 

8 distribution mechanisms and services; 

9 (5) collect and analyze gender data for the pur10 pose of developing and enhancing early warning sys11 tems of conflict and violence; 

12 (6) adjust policies and programs to improve 

13 outcomes in gender equality and the empowerment 

14 of women; and 

15 (7) monitor, analyze, and evaluate implementa16 tion efforts and the impact of such efforts. 

17 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 

18 Congress that the President, in implementing each strat19 egy submitted under section 5, should— 

20 (1) provide technical assistance, training, and 

21 logistical support to female negotiators, mediators, 

22 peace builders, and stakeholders; 

23 (2) address security-related barriers to the 

24 meaningful participation of women; 


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1 (3) increase the participation of women in exist2 ing programs funded by the United States Govern3 ment that provide training to foreign nationals re4 garding law enforcement, the rule of law, or profes5 sional military education; 

6 (4) support appropriate local organizations, es7 pecially women’s peace building organizations; 

8 (5) support the training, education, and mobili9 zation of men and boys as partners in support of the 

10 meaningful participation of women; 

11 (6) encourage the development of transitional 

12 justice and accountability mechanisms that are in13 clusive of the experiences and perspectives of women 

14 and girls; 

15 (7) expand and apply gender analysis to im16 prove program design and targeting; and 

17 (8) conduct assessments that include the per18 spectives of women before implementing new 

19 projects or activities in support of peace negotia20 tions, transitional justice and accountability, efforts 

21 to counter violent extremism, or security sector re22 form. 


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1 SEC. 5. UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE THE PAR2 TICIPATION OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT PRE3 VENTION AND PEACE BUILDING. 

4 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than October 1, 2017, 

5 October 1, 2022, and October 1, 2027, the President, in 

6 consultation with the head of each relevant Federal de7 partment and agency, shall submit to the appropriate con8 gressional committees and make publicly available a single 

9 government-wide strategy, to be known as the Women, 

10 Peace, and Security Strategy, that provides a detailed de11 scription of how the United States intends to fulfill the 

12 policy objectives in section 4. The strategy shall— 

13 (1) support and be aligned with plans developed 

14 by other nations to improve the meaningful partici15 pation of women in peace and security processes, 

16 conflict prevention, peace building, transitional proc17 esses, and decisionmaking institutions in conflict-af18 fected environments; and 

19 (2) include specific and measurable goals, 

20 benchmarks, performance metrics, timetables, and 

21 monitoring and evaluation plans to ensure the ac22 countability and effectiveness of all policies, pro23 grams, projects, and activities carried out under the 

24 strategy. 

25 (b) SPECIFIC PLANS FOR AGENCIES.—Each strategy 

26 under subsection (a) shall include a specific implementaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 May 28, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5332.IH H5332

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1 tion plan from each relevant Federal department and 

2 agency that describes— 

3 (1) the anticipated contributions of the depart4 ment or agency, including technical, financial, and 

5 in-kind contributions, to implement the strategy; and 

6 (2) the efforts of the department or agency to 

7 ensure that the activities and programs carried out 

8 pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve 

9 maximum impact and long-term sustainability. 

10 (c) COORDINATION.—The President should promote 

11 the meaningful participation of women in conflict preven12 tion, in coordination and consultation with international 

13 partners, including multilateral organizations, stake14 holders, and other relevant international organizations, 

15 particularly in circumstances in which direct engagement 

16 is not appropriate or advisable. 

17 SEC. 6. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE PAR18 TICIPATION OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT PRE19 VENTION AND PEACE BUILDING. 

20 (a) FOREIGN SERVICE.—Section 704 of the Foreign 

21 Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4024) is amended by add22 ing at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(e) The Secretary, in conjunction with the Adminis24 trator of the United States Agency for International De25 velopment, shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 May 28, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5332.IH H5332

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1 cluding special envoys, members of mediation or negotia2 tion teams, relevant members of the civil service or foreign 

3 service, and contractors) responsible for or deploying to 

4 countries or regions considered to be at risk of, under5 going, or emerging from violent conflict obtain training, 

6 as appropriate, in the following areas, each of which shall 

7 include a focus on women and ensuring meaningful par8 ticipation by women: 

9 ‘‘(1) Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolu10 tion. 

11 ‘‘(2) Protecting civilians from violence, exploi12 tation, and trafficking in persons. 

13 ‘‘(3) International human rights law and inter14 national humanitarian law.’’. 

15 (b) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.— 

16 (1) Chapter 107 of title 10, United States 

17 Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘§ 2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participa20 tion by Women. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the 

22 Secretary of Defense shall ensure that all appropriate per23 sonnel (including members of the armed forces, members 

24 of mediation or negotiation teams, and relevant members 

25 of the civil service) responsible for or deploying to counVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 May 28, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5332.IH H5332

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1 tries or regions considered to be at risk of, undergoing, 

2 or emerging from violent conflict obtain training, as ap3 propriate, in the following areas: 

4 ‘‘(1) Advanced training in conflict prevention, 

5 peace processes, mitigation, resolution, and security 

6 initiatives that specifically addresses the importance 

7 of meaningful participation by women. 

8 ‘‘(2) Gender considerations and meaningful par9 ticipation by women, including training regarding— 

10 ‘‘(A) international human rights law and 

11 international humanitarian law, as relevant; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(B) protecting civilians from violence, ex14 ploitation, and trafficking in persons. 

15 ‘‘(3) Effective strategies and best practices for 

16 ensuring meaningful participation by women. 

17 ‘‘(b) EXISTING TRAINING.—All training provided in 

18 accordance with subsection (a) shall be incorporated into 

19 existing pre-deployment training.’’. 

20 (2) The table of sections at the beginning of 

21 chapter 107 of title 10, United States Code, is 

22 amended by adding at the end the following new 

23 item: 

‘‘2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Women.’’. 

24 (c) COLLABORATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS.— 

25 The Secretary of State should work with the United NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:33 May 28, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5332.IH H5332

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1 tions and the international community to increase the 

2 meaningful participation of women in international peace3 keeping operations, and should promote training that pro4 vides international peacekeeping personnel with the sub5 stantive knowledge and skills needed to effectively ensure 

6 the physical security and meaningful participation of 

7 women in conflict prevention and peace building. 

8 SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State and the 

10 Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter11 national Development shall establish guidelines for over12 seas United States personnel to consult with stakeholders 

13 regarding United States efforts to— 

14 (1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; 

15 and 

16 (2) enhance the success of mediation and nego17 tiation processes by ensuring the meaningful partici18 pation of women. 

19 (b) FREQUENCY AND SCOPE.—Consultations under 

20 subsection (a) shall take place regularly and include a 

21 range and representative sample of stakeholders, including 

22 local women, youth, ethnic and religious minorities, and 

23 other politically under-represented or marginalized popu24 lations. 


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1 SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

2 (a) BRIEFING.—The Secretary of State, in conjunc3 tion with the Administrator of the United States Agency 

4 for International Development and the Secretary of De5 fense, shall brief the appropriate congressional commit6 tees, not later than one year after the date of the enact7 ment of this Act, on— 

8 (1) existing, enhanced, and newly established 

9 training carried out pursuant to section 6 and the 

10 amendments made by such section; and 

11 (2) the guidelines established for overseas 

12 United States diplomatic and consular personnel to 

13 engage in consultations with United States and 

14 international stakeholders, pursuant to section 7. 

15 (b) REPORT ON WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY

16 STRATEGY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the 

17 submission of each strategy required under section 5, the 

18 President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

19 committees a report that— 

20 (1) outlines the monitoring and evaluation 

21 tools, mechanisms, and common indicators to assess 

22 progress made on the policy objectives in section 4; 

23 (2) summarizes United States diplomatic efforts 

24 and foreign assistance programs, projects, and ac25 tivities to promote the meaningful participation of 

26 women; and 


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1 (3) summarizes and evaluates the impact of the 

2 programs, projects, and activities that support the 

3 policy objectives in section 4. 

4 SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT7 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com8 mittees’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

10 Committee on Armed Services, and the Com11 mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 

12 (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

13 Committee on Armed Services, and the Com14 mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep15 resentatives. 

16 (2) STAKEHOLDERS.—The term ‘‘stakeholders’’ 

17 means nongovernmental and private sector entities 

18 engaged in or affected by conflict prevention and 

19 stabilization, peace-building, protection, security, 

20 transition initiatives, humanitarian response, or re21 lated efforts, including— 

22 (A) registered or nonregistered nonprofit 

23 organizations, advocacy groups, business or 

24 trade associations, labor unions, cooperatives, 

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1 tions, community and faith-based organizations, 

2 philanthropic foundations, and tribal leaders or 

3 structures; 

4 (B) independent media, educational, or re5 search institutions; and 

6 (C) private enterprises, including inter7 national development firms, banks, and other fi8 nancial institutions, particularly small busi9 nesses and businesses owned by women or dis10 advantaged groups. 

11 (3) MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION.—The term 

12 ‘‘meaningful participation’’ means, with respect to 

13 the full range of formal or informal processes related 

14 to negotiation or mediation, safe, genuine, and effec15 tive access to, and present and active involvement 

16 in— 

17 (A) conflict prevention; 

18 (B) efforts to resolve, mitigate, or transi19 tion from violent conflict; 

20 (C) peacekeeping and peace-building ef21 forts; 

22 (D) post-conflict reconstruction, transition 

23 initiatives, and governance; and 

24 (E) humanitarian response. 


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1 (4) RELEVANT FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND

2 AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘relevant Federal depart3 ments and agencies’’ means— 

4 (A) the United States Agency for Inter5 national Development; 

6 (B) the Department of State; 

7 (C) the Department of Defense; 

8 (D) the Department of Homeland Security; 

9 (E) the Department of Justice; 

10 (F) the Department of the Treasury; 

11 (G) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; 

12 (H) the Peace Corps; 

13 (I) the Office of the United States Trade 

14 Representative; 

15 (J) the Centers for Disease Control and 

16 Prevention; and 

17 (K) any other department or agency speci18 fied by the President for purposes of this Act. 

Æ 


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