I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4097 
To require a report on the participation of Afghan women in negotiations 
and dialogue relating to the Afghan peace process and a strategy for 
post-conflict engagement by the United States in Afghanistan, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2019 
Mr. KEATING (for himself, Mrs. WAGNER, Ms. FRANKEL, and Mr. WILSON 
of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To require a report on the participation of Afghan women 
in negotiations and dialogue relating to the Afghan peace 
process and a strategy for post-conflict engagement by 
the United States in Afghanistan, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Afghan Women’s In-
clusion in Negotiations Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 
2017 was signed into law on October 6, 2017, re-
quiring the United States Government to promote 
the meaningful participation of women in all aspects 
of overseas conflict prevention, management, and 
resolution, and postconflict relief and recovery ef-
forts. 
(2) The meaningful participation of women in 
peace negotiations has been shown to make resulting 
peace agreements 35 percent more likely to last, ac-
cording to the International Peace Institute, and 
their sustained engagement and leadership in con-
flict prevention and conflict resolution processes 
helps to promote more inclusive and democratic soci-
eties and is critical to the long-term stability of 
countries and regions. 
(3) The United States National Security Strat-
egy states, ‘‘governments that fail to treat women 
equally do not allow their societies to reach their po-
tential’’ and ‘‘societies that empower women to par-
ticipate fully in civic and economic life are more 
prosperous and peaceful’’. 
(4) Today, millions of Afghan women have 
voted in elections and women have a significant 
presence in the National Assembly, ministries, local 
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government, and the diplomatic corps including as 
Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United States. 
(5) According to the United States Institute of 
Peace, more than 68,000 Afghan women are em-
ployed in schools and universities, and at least 
10,000 women are doctors and health care profes-
sionals. 
(6) Afghan women entrepreneurs have invested 
an estimated $77 million in their businesses, cre-
ating 77,000 jobs for Afghans. 
(7) In 2015, Afghanistan approved a National 
Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to in-
crease women’s participation in peace processes and 
the security sector as well as address issues around 
protection and relief and recovery services. 
(8) In 2018, Afghanistan reaffirmed its Law to 
Eliminate Violence Against Women. 
(9) Afghan women have advocated relentlessly 
for peace, equality, and basic rights under the 
Taliban, including by educating the next generation 
of Afghans in underground schools and successfully 
negotiating with the Taliban to reopen girls’ schools, 
release hostages, and prevent violence. 
(10) Afghan women participated in the 2001 
Bonn International Conference on Afghanistan, par-
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ticipated alongside then-President Karzai at the 
2010 National Consultative Peace Jirga on reconcili-
ation between the Afghan government and insurgent 
leaders, served on the country’s Provincial Peace 
Councils, and today serve on Afghanistan’s High 
Peace Council. 
(11) Through various coalitions, women have 
mobilized to demand an immediate ceasefire and 
their rightful seat at the table including through ral-
lies and consultations with communities across all of 
Afghanistan’s provinces, including a ‘‘Peace Consult-
ative Loya Jirga’’ which brought together politi-
cians, tribal elders, and other prominent leaders to 
decide on a common approach for peace talks with 
the Taliban. 
(12) Over the first seven rounds of bilateral 
talks between the United States and the Taliban, 
neither the Afghan Government nor Afghan women 
or civil society groups were permitted to participate 
in the negotiations. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) corresponding with the Women, Peace, and 
Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–68) and the 
U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, the 
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United States has a commitment to promoting the 
meaningful participation of women throughout the 
Afghan peace process; 
(2) representatives of Afghan women, youth, 
and other marginalized groups from rural and urban 
provinces and especially from those most affected by 
violence, should meaningfully participate and engage 
in all peace talks, implementation commissions, and 
other bodies if an agreement is reached, alongside 
the Government of Afghanistan, the Afghan political 
opposition, and the Taliban, and that their security 
must be protected throughout and their concerns 
prioritized in those respective agendas; 
(3) training and gender expertise should be 
made available to the United States mediators of the 
peace talks and all participating delegations, includ-
ing one or more gender advisors with expertise in 
structuring inclusive peace process and conflict me-
diation, and who have local language skills and me-
diation expertise to establish a safe communication 
channel for engagement with and training of a di-
verse range of Afghan women’s groups; 
(4) financial, technical, and logistical support, 
including security precautions for their protection, 
should be provided to women delegates to the talks, 
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mediators, peace builders, and stakeholders, enabling 
them to travel safely to and from the location of the 
peace talks and to meaningfully participate; and 
(5) a component of any international aid pack-
age that is awarded to Afghanistan as part of the 
peace process should be directed to programming fo-
cused on gender equality and women’s empower-
ment, including for efforts to ensure that implemen-
tation of the peace agreement is shaped by gender 
analysis, and that funds are made available as 
grants for local Afghan women-led and women’s em-
powerment organizations as well as for education 
and necessary services for women and girls. 
SEC. 4. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions of the Senate not later than 30 days after the conclu-
sion of each round of negotiations relating to the Afghan 
peace process an unclassified report, which may contain 
a classified annex, relating to the peace process. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include information, in ac-
cordance with the requirements of the Women, Peace, and 
Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–68), on— 
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(1) the participation of Afghan women and the 
protection of their rights and gains; 
(2) the actions of the Department of State and 
other relevant Federal departments and agencies to 
advance the priorities described in section 3, includ-
ing United States efforts to consult with and train 
local women-led civil society organizations and to ad-
vocate for their inclusion and participation in na-
tional, provincial, and community-level peacebuild-
ing, conflict prevention, and post-conflict reconcili-
ation. 
SEC. 5. STRATEGY FOR POST-CONFLICT ENGAGEMENT BY 
THE UNITED STATES IN AFGHANISTAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in con-
sultation with the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development and other relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate not later than 120 days after a final Afghan Reconcili-
ation Agreement is reached, a strategy for post-conflict 
engagement by the United States in Afghanistan to sup-
port the implementation of commitments for women and 
girls’ inclusion and empowerment in the Agreement, as 
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well as to protect and promote basic human rights in Af-
ghanistan, especially the human rights of women and girls. 
(b) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—The Secretary of State 
shall seek to ensure that activities carried out under the 
strategy— 
(1) employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation 
methodologies, including ex-post evaluation, and gen-
der analysis as defined by the Women’s Entrepre-
neurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 
(Public Law 115–428) and required by the U.S. 
Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security; 
(2) disaggregate all data collected and reported 
by age, gender, marital and motherhood status, dis-
ability, and urbanity, to the extent practicable and 
appropriate; and 
(3) adhere to the Policy Guidance on Promoting 
Gender Equality of the Department of State and the 
Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy 
of the United States Agency for International Devel-
opment. 
Æ 
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