IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 258 
Honoring and supporting women in the Middle East and North Africa for 
their bravery and leadership and calling on the United States Govern-
ment and the international community to recognize their vital role in 
democracy movements and promote the rights and empowerment of 
women and girls in the region. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2011 
Mr. CARNAHAN (for himself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. MOORE, Mr. CROWLEY, 
Mr. PAYNE, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. SPEIER, 
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. SHULER, Mr. BERMAN, Ms. 
BASS of California, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MORAN, Mr. 
RUSH, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. GARAMENDI) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring and supporting women in the Middle East and 
North Africa for their bravery and leadership and calling 
on the United States Government and the international 
community to recognize their vital role in democracy 
movements and promote the rights and empowerment 
of women and girls in the region. 
Whereas in the course of peaceful protests in countries 
throughout the Middle East and North Africa, women 
have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with men to advance 
their rights; 
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•HRES 258 IH 
Whereas in late December 2010 and January 2011, Tunisia 
underwent a political upheaval, dubbed the ‘‘Jasmine 
Revolution’’, resulting in the fleeing of President of Tuni-
sia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from the country on January 
14, 2011, and sparking reform movements across the re-
gion; 
Whereas women in Tunisia have been at the vanguard of so-
cial and political change since the 1940s and 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, meaningful 
constitutional and political reforms, greater economic op-
portunity, and an end to government corruption; 
Whereas women have been at the forefront of every major po-
litical movement in modern Egypt and were integral in 
organizing the most recent democratic movement, uti-
lizing social media and galvanizing support among men 
and women for peaceful protest; 
Whereas, despite the threat of potential violence, abuse, and 
harassment, women were among the crowd that came out 
to protest and according to press accounts, have been 
credited with spreading the movement to a wider base 
and helping stave off violence and extremism; 
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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•HRES 258 IH 
Whereas, on February 25, 2011, the United Nations Security 
Council and the international community condemned the 
violence and use of force against civilians in Libya; 
Whereas according to press reports, in Libya, women have 
played an integral role courageously participating in dem-
onstrations and 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 day-to-day clashes and casualty 
numbers, and holding meetings about health and edu-
cation issues; 
Whereas in the face of brutal crackdown, women in Syria 
have also turned out passionately in protest, even some-
times without men, calling for freedom, equality, and po-
litical change; 
Whereas according to press reports, women are among the 
leaders of demonstrations calling for reform in both Bah-
rain and Yemen; 
Whereas women’s groups in countries such as Morocco, Jor-
dan, Lebanon, and Iran have attempted to address op-
pressive legal, rule of law, and other practices inhibiting 
their rights; 
Whereas women around the world face daunting obstacles; 
Whereas women are disproportionately impacted by extreme 
poverty, comprising 70 percent of the world’s poor, they 
occupy less than an average of 19 percent of seats in par-
liaments worldwide, and they are vastly more vulnerable 
in times of war, natural disaster, and other crises; 
Whereas broadly, barriers to women’s advancement include 
access to health care, education, and economic opportuni-
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•HRES 258 IH 
ties, lack of legal rights and judicial process, and targets 
of trafficking and sexual and gender-based violence; 
Whereas while these challenges are significant, women are 
paradoxically the most promising and untapped agents of 
change; 
Whereas the world cannot achieve lasting peace, prosperity, 
and security if half of the population does not have a 
voice at all levels of decisionmaking, from grassroots civil 
society to national government and international institu-
tions; 
Whereas women’s leadership in peace processes positively cor-
relates with sustainability of peace agreements, as nu-
merous case studies demonstrate, women’s inclusion en-
hances the credibility and transparency of peace proc-
esses and ensures a broader range of security-related 
issues, such as the return of internally displaced persons; 
Whereas in post-conflict settings women leaders are resources 
for reconstruction and stabilization; 
Whereas in states transitioning to democracy, women are key 
counterweights to ideological extremism and partners in 
establishing good governance; 
Whereas the majority of women leaders active in preventing 
and ending conflict or promoting democracy work within 
civil society, and as such, civil society institutions should 
be consulted as a key stakeholder as states transition 
from conflict to stability or authoritarianism to democ-
racy; 
Whereas women of diverse backgrounds have marched in 
streets of countries from Tunisia to Iran in demand of 
governmental reforms for greater freedom and respect for 
human rights; and 
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•HRES 258 IH 
Whereas women across the Middle East and North Africa 
have shown the world the pivotal role of women in civil 
society as change agents and beacons of hope and justice, 
as they courageously aspire for freedom, democracy, and 
rule of law: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors the women in the Middle East and 
North Africa who have worked to ensure that women 
are guaranteed equality and basic human rights; 
(2) recognizes that women’s empowerment, spe-
cifically their inclusion in all decisionmaking struc-
tures, is inextricably linked to the potential of na-
tions to generate economic growth, security for all 
its citizens, and sustainable democracy; 
(3) acknowledges that women in the Middle 
East and North Africa are demanding to be included 
in revolutionary movements that will fundamentally 
affect their lives, families, and communities; 
(4) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to the universal rights of freedom of assem-
bly, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and 
supports the calls for representative and responsive 
democratic governments that respect these rights; 
(5) condemns any efforts to provoke or insti-
gate violence against women, and calls upon all par-
ties to refrain from all violent and criminal acts; 
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•HRES 258 IH 
(6) underscores the vital importance of women’s 
rights and political participation as leaders in the 
Middle East and North Africa consider constitu-
tional reforms and shape new governments; and 
(7) encourages the President to— 
(A) reaffirm his commitment to pursue 
policies to protect fundamental human rights 
and civil liberties, particularly those of women 
and girls; and 
(B) in coordination with the international 
community, ensure that the rights and em-
powerment of women and girls are a critical 
component of the Administration’s diplomatic, 
development, and democracy promotion strate-
gies, especially as calls for political change 
sweep the Middle East and North Africa region. 
Æ 
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