III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 109 

Honoring and supporting women in North Africa and the Middle East whose 

bravery, compassion, and commitment to putting the wellbeing of others 

before their own have proven that courage can be contagious. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2011 

Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. 

HAGAN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mrs. 

SHAHEEN, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. AYOTTE, Ms. MIKULSKI, 

Ms. MURKOWSKI, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. UDALL

of Colorado, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. CASEY, and Mr. MERKLEY) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

APRIL 12, 2011 

Reported by Mr. KERRY, without amendment 

APRIL 14, 2011 

Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amendment to the preamble 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring and supporting women in North Africa and the 

Middle East whose bravery, compassion, and commitment to putting the wellbeing of others before their own 

have proven that courage can be contagious. 

Whereas, in the course of peaceful protests in countries 

throughout North Africa and the Middle East, women 


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SRES 109 ATS 

have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with men to advance 

their rights; 

Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said, 

‘‘The rights of women and girls is the unfinished business 

of the 21st Century.’’; 

Whereas, in late December 2010 and January 2011, Tunisia 

underwent a political upheaval, dubbed the ‘‘Jasmine 

Revolution,’’ resulting in the fleeing of President of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from the country on January 

14, 2011; 

Whereas one of the first voices of the ‘‘Jasmine Revolution’’ 

was the sister of Mohammad Bouazizi, the young man 

whose death led to many of the peaceful protests in Tunisia; 

Whereas, on January 25, 2011, demonstrations began across 

Egypt with thousands of protesters peacefully calling for 

a new government, free and fair elections, significant constitutional and political reforms, greater economic opportunity, and an end to government corruption; 

Whereas women in Egypt have utilized social media to galvanize support among men and women for peaceful protest; 

Whereas huge crowds came out to protest peacefully in 

Egypt, and women were among those that faced tear gas 

and who pitched their tents and slept in the cold in 

Tahrir Square; 

Whereas hundreds of women took part in a rally in Cairo on 

March 8, 2011, the 100th Anniversary of International 

Women’s Day, to remind women in Egypt that they must 

have a voice in their nation’s future; 


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SRES 109 ATS 

Whereas, on February 25, 2011, the international community 

condemned the violence and use of force against civilians 

in Libya; 

Whereas, according to press reports, women in Libya have 

been working behind the scenes making a profound difference to promote reform and keep the momentum of 

the uprising alive, listening to worried fathers whose sons 

are fighting on the frontlines, keeping up with the dayto-day clashes and casualty numbers, and holding meetings about health and education issues, as well as participating in the demonstrations themselves; 

Whereas, according to press reports, women are among the 

leaders of demonstrations calling for reform in Yemen; 

Whereas women’s groups in countries such as Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran have attempted to harness critical support regarding legislation affecting their rights; 

Whereas women around the world continue to face significant 

obstacles in all aspects of their lives, including denial of 

basic human rights, discrimination, and gender-based violence; 

Whereas women, young and old, have marched in the streets 

of countries from Tunisia to Iran demanding freedom 

from oppression; and 

Whereas women across North Africa and the Middle East aspire for freedom, democracy, and rule of law: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the women in North Africa and the 

3 Middle East who have worked to ensure that women 

4 are guaranteed equality and basic human rights; 


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1 (2) recognizes that the empowerment of women 

2 is inextricably linked to the potential of nations to 

3 generate economic growth and sustainable democ4 racy; 

5 (3) acknowledges that women in North Africa 

6 and the Middle East are demanding to be included 

7 in making choices that will affect their own lives and 

8 their families; 

9 (4) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

10 States to the universal rights of freedom of assem11 bly, freedom of speech, and freedom of association, 

12 including via the Internet; 

13 (5) celebrates this year’s centennial anniversary 

14 of International Women’s Day, a global day to cele15 brate the economic, political, and social achieve16 ments of women past, present, and future, and a 

17 day to recognize the obstacles that women still face 

18 in the struggle for equal rights and opportunities; 

19 (6) condemns any efforts to provoke or insti20 gate violence against women, and calls upon all par21 ties to refrain from all violent and criminal acts; and 

22 (7) underscores the vital importance of women’s 

23 rights and political participation as leaders in North 


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1 Africa and the Middle East consider constitutional 

2 reforms and shape new governments. 

Æ 


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