credit, and financial and non-financial resources for 
business development. Ensuring economic oppor-
tunity for women in conflict-affected areas plays a 
significant role in economic rehabilitation and con-
solidation of peace. 
(10) Given the important role of women in the 
economies of poor nations, poverty alleviation pro-
grams funded by the Government of the United 
States in poor countries should seek to enhance the 
level of economic opportunity available to women in 
those countries. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is, therefore, the 
policy of the United States to actively promote develop-
ment interventions that enhance economic opportunities 
for women, including programs and policies to— 
(1) promote women’s ability to start, grow, and 
sustain micro-, small-, or medium-sized business en-
terprises; 
(2) promote the rights of women to own, man-
age, and inherit property, including land, encourage 
adoption of laws and policies that support the rights 
of women to enforce these claims in administrative 
and judicial tribunals, and address conflicts with 
customary laws and practices to increase the secu-
rity of women’s tenure; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(3) increase women’s access to employment, en-
able women to access higher quality jobs with better 
remuneration and working conditions in both infor-
mal and formal employment, and improve the qual-
ity of jobs in sectors dominated by women by im-
proving the remuneration and working conditions of 
those jobs; and 
(4) bring the benefits of international trade pol-
icy to women in developing countries and ensure 
that trade policies and agreements adequately reflect 
the respective needs of poor women and men. 
SEC. 3. MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE 
FOR WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION; IMPLEMENTATION; TARGETED 
ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 252(a) of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2211a(a)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 
before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, including 
specific activities to enhance the empowerment 
of women, such as leadership training, basic 
health and HIV/AIDS education, and literacy 
skills’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(i) by adding at the end before the 
semicolon 
the 
following: 
‘‘, 
including 
women’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(C) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) by adding at the end before the pe-
riod the following: ‘‘, including initiatives 
to eliminate legal and institutional barriers 
to women’s ownership of assets, access to 
credit information and communication 
technologies, and engagement in agricul-
tural and business activities within or out-
side of the home’’; and 
(ii) by striking the period at the end 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) microfinance and microenterprise develop-
ment programs that— 
‘‘(A) specifically target women with respect 
to outreach and marketing; and 
‘‘(B) provide products specifically to ad-
dress women’s assets, needs, and the barriers 
women encounter with respect to participation 
in enterprise and financial services.’’. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—Section 252(b)(2)(C) 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2211a(b)(2)(C)) is amended— 
(A) in clause (ii)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘microenterprise devel-
opment field’’ and inserting ‘‘microfinance 
and microenterprise development field’’; 
and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in clause (iii)— 
(i) by inserting after ‘‘competitive’’ 
the following: ‘‘, take into consideration 
the anticipated impact of the proposals on 
the empowerment of women and men, re-
spectively,’’; and 
(ii) by striking the period at the end 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iv) give preference to proposals from 
providers of assistance that demonstrate 
the greatest knowledge of clients’ needs 
and capabilities, including proposals that 
ensure that women are involved in the de-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
sign and implementation of services and 
programs.’’. 
(3) TARGETED ASSISTANCE.—Section 252(c) of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2211a(c)) is amended in the first sentence by adding 
at the end before the period the following: ‘‘, par-
ticularly women’’. 
(b) MONITORING SYSTEM.—Section 253(b) of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211b(b)) is 
amended in paragraph (1), by inserting after ‘‘perform-
ance goals for the assistance’’ the following: ‘‘on a sex- 
disaggregated basis’’. 
(c) MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT CREDITS.— 
Section 256(b)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2212(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end 
before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, with an emphasis 
on clients who are women’’. 
(d) REPORT.— 
(1) CONTENTS.—Section 258(b) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2214(b)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(12) An estimate of the potential global de-
mand for microfinance and microenterprise develop-
ment for women, determined in collaboration with 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
practitioners in a cost-effective manner, and a de-
scription of the Agency’s plan to help meet such de-
mand.’’. 
(2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Section 258 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2214) is amended— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (d); and 
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—All information 
in the report required by this section relating to bene-
ficiaries of assistance authorized by this title shall be 
disaggregated by sex to the maximum extent practicable.’’. 
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR WOMEN’S SMALL- AND MEDIUM- 
SIZED ENTERPRISES IN DEVELOPING COUN-
TRIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 
through the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development, shall— 
(1) where appropriate, carry out programs, 
projects, and activities for enterprise development 
for women in developing countries that meet the re-
quirements of subsection (b); and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(2) ensure that such programs, projects, and 
activities that are carried out pursuant to assistance 
provided under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) meet the require-
ments of subsection (b). 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements referred to 
in subsection (a) are the following: 
(1) In coordination with developing country 
governments and interested individuals and organi-
zations, encourage or enhance laws, regulations, en-
forcement, and other practices that promote access 
to banking and financial services for women-owned 
small- and medium-sized enterprises, and eliminate 
or reduce regulatory barriers that may exist in this 
regard. 
(2) Promote access to information and commu-
nication technologies (ICT) with training in ICT for 
women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises. 
(3) Provide training, through local associations 
of women-owned enterprises or nongovernmental or-
ganizations in recordkeeping, financial and personnel 
management, international trade, business planning, 
marketing, policy advocacy, leadership development, 
and other relevant areas. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(4) Provide resources to establish and enhance 
local, national, and international networks and asso-
ciations of women-owned small- and medium-sized 
enterprises. 
(5) Provide incentives for nongovernmental or-
ganizations and regulated financial intermediaries to 
develop products, services, and marketing and out-
reach strategies specifically designed to facilitate and 
promote women’s participation in small- and me-
dium-sized business development programs by ad-
dressing women’s assets, needs, and the barriers 
they face to participation in enterprise and financial 
services. 
(6) Seek to award contracts to qualified indige-
nous women-owned small- and medium-sized enter-
prises, including for post-conflict reconstruction and 
to facilitate employment of indigenous women, in-
cluding during post-conflict reconstruction in jobs 
not traditionally undertaken by women. 
SEC. 5. SUPPORT FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS AND 
LAND TENURE SECURITY FOR WOMEN IN DE-
VELOPING COUNTRIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 
through the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development, shall— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(1) where appropriate, carry out programs, 
projects, and activities for the promotion of private 
property rights and land tenure security for women 
in developing countries that— 
(A) are implemented by local, indigenous 
nongovernmental and community-based organi-
zations dedicated to addressing the needs of 
women, including women’s organizations; and 
(B) otherwise meet the requirements of 
subsection (b); and 
(2) ensure that such programs, projects, and 
activities that are carried out pursuant to assistance 
provided under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) meet the require-
ments of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 
(1). 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements referred to 
in subsection (a) are the following: 
(1) Advocate to amend and harmonize statutory 
and customary law to give women equal rights to 
own, use, and inherit property. 
(2) Promote legal literacy among women and 
men about property rights for women and how to ex-
ercise such rights. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(3) Assist women in making land claims and 
protecting women’s existing claims. 
(4) Advocate for equitable land titling and reg-
istration for women. 
(c) AMENDMENT.—Section 103(b)(1) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a(b)(1)) is amend-
ed by inserting after ‘‘establishment of more equitable and 
more secure land tenure arrangements’’ the following: ‘‘, 
especially for women’’. 
SEC. 6. SUPPORT FOR WOMEN’S ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT 
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. 
The Secretary of State, acting through the Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, shall, where appropriate, carry out the fol-
lowing: 
(1) Support activities to increase women’s ac-
cess to employment and to higher quality employ-
ment with better remuneration and working condi-
tions in developing countries, including access to in-
surance and other social safety nets, in informal and 
formal employment relative to core labor standards 
determined by the International Labor Organization. 
Such activities should include— 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS
(A) public education efforts to inform poor 
women and men of their legal rights related to 
employment; 
(B) education and vocational training tai-
lored to enable poor women to access opportuni-
ties in potential growth sectors in their local 
economies and in jobs within the formal and in-
formal sectors where women are not tradition-
ally highly represented; 
(C) efforts to support self-employed poor 
women or wage workers to form or join inde-
pendent unions or other labor associations to 
increase their income and improve their work-
ing conditions; and 
(D) advocacy efforts to protect the rights 
of women in the workplace, including— 
(i) developing programs with the par-
ticipation of civil society to eliminate gen-
der-based violence; and 
(ii) providing capacity-building assist-
ance to women’s organizations to effec-
tively research and monitor labor rights 
conditions. 
(2) Provide assistance to governments and or-
ganizations in developing countries seeking to design 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
01:43 May 01, 2010
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5191.IH
H5191
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with BILLS