Title: A resolution supporting the goals of International Women's Day.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for International Women's Day and recognition that women's empowerment is inextricably linked to generating economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security. The resolution also reaffirms the Senate's commitment to end discrimination and violence against women and to pursue policies that guarantee fundamental human rights for women worldwide.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 101 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 101

           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 7, 2019

 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Baldwin) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.

Whereas, as of March 2019, there are approximately 3,700,000,000 women in the 
        world;
Whereas women and girls around the world--

    (1) have fundamental human rights;

    (2) play a critical role in providing and caring for their families;

    (3) contribute substantially to food security, economic growth, and the 
prevention and resolution of conflict; and

    (4) must be empowered to more fully participate in the political, 
social, and economic lives of their communities in order to accelerate the 
growth of healthier, more stable societies;

Whereas the advancement and empowerment of women and girls around the world is a 
        foreign policy priority for the United States;
Whereas the National Security Strategy of the United States, published in 
        December 2017--

    (1) declares that ``societies that empower women to participate fully 
in civic and economic life are more prosperous and peaceful'';

    (2) supports ``efforts to advance women's equality, protect the rights 
of women and girls, and promote women and youth empowerment programs''; and

    (3) recognizes that ``governments that fail to treat women equally do 
not allow their societies to reach their potential'';

Whereas the United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, 
        revised in June 2016, states, ``Deadly conflicts can be more effectively 
        avoided, and peace can be best forged and sustained, when women become 
        equal partners in all aspects of peacebuilding and conflict prevention, 
        when their lives are protected, their voices heard, and their 
        perspectives taken into account.'';
Whereas there are 79 national action plans relating to the empowerment of women 
        around the world, 11 regional action plans, and several additional 
        national action plans known to be in development;
Whereas the joint strategy of the Department of State and the United States 
        Agency for International Development entitled ``Department of State & 
        USAID Joint Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism'' and dated May 
        2016--

    (1) notes that women can play a critical role in identifying and 
addressing drivers of violent extremism in their families, communities, and 
broader society; and

    (2) commits to supporting programs that engage women ``as key 
stakeholders in preventing and countering violent extremism in their 
communities'';

Whereas, according to the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement 
        Affairs of the Department of State, the full and meaningful 
        participation of women in security forces vastly enhances the 
        effectiveness of the security forces;
Whereas, despite the contributions of women to society, hundreds of millions of 
        women and girls around the world continue to be denied the right to 
        participate freely in civic and economic life, lack fundamental legal 
        protections, and are left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse;
Whereas, every year, approximately 12,000,000 girls are married before they 
        reach the age of 18, which means that--

    (1) nearly 33,000 girls are married every day; or

    (2) nearly 23 girls are married every minute;

Whereas, according to the International Labour Organization, 71 percent of the 
        estimated 40,300,000 victims of modern slavery in 2016 were women or 
        girls, with girls representing 3 out of every 4 child trafficking 
        victims;
Whereas, according to UNICEF--

    (1) approximately \1/4\ of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are 
victims of physical violence;

    (2) approximately 15,000,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have 
experienced rape or other forced sexual acts; and

    (3) an estimated 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some 
form of physical or sexual violence;

Whereas, according to the 2018 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and 
        Crime entitled ``Global Report on Trafficking in Persons'', 72 percent 
        of all detected trafficking victims are women or girls;
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the United States Government launched a strategy 
        entitled ``United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based 
        Violence Globally'', which is the first interagency strategy that--

    (1) addresses gender-based violence around the world;

    (2) advances the rights and status of women and girls;

    (3) promotes gender equality in United States foreign policy; and

    (4) works to bring about a world in which all individuals can pursue 
their aspirations without the threat of violence;

Whereas, in June 2016, the Department of State released an update to that 
        strategy, underscoring that ``preventing and responding to gender-based 
        violence is a cornerstone of the U.S. Government's commitment to 
        advancing human rights and promoting gender equality and the empowerment 
        of women and girls'';
Whereas, according to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the 
        Empowerment of Women (commonly referred to as ``UN Women''), peace 
        negotiations are more likely to end in a peace agreement when women and 
        women's groups play a meaningful role in the negotiation process;
Whereas, according to a study by the International Peace Institute, a peace 
        agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women 
        participate in the development of the peace agreement;
Whereas, on October 6, 2017, the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (22 
        U.S.C. 2152j et seq.) was enacted into law, which includes requirements 
        for a government-wide ``Women, Peace, and Security Strategy'' to promote 
        and strengthen women's participation in peace negotiations and conflict 
        prevention overseas, enhanced training for relevant United States 
        Government personnel, and follow-up evaluations of the effectiveness of 
        the strategy;
Whereas, on October 25, 2018, Ambassador Jonathan Cohen, United States Deputy 
        Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated in the United 
        Nations Security Council Annual Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security 
        that--

    (1) ``promoting women's equal and meaningful inclusion and 
participation across efforts to restore security, promote democracy and 
good governance, and support economic development are not women's issues; 
they are vital national security issues'';

    (2) ``our experience shows that women often have the best understanding 
of the needs of their communities'';

    (3) ``the United States believes strongly that countries with high 
rates of gender inequality are more likely to experience instability and 
deadly conflict . . . [m]eaningful participation of women at all levels of 
security work, including in uniform, can help counteract this worrying 
trend'';

    (4) ``empowering women economically starts with ensuring girls have 
access to education . . . [g]irls suffer most when there are attacks on 
schools or when combatants misuse schools to support combatant 
operations'';

    (5) ``if we hope to prevent conflicts and build lasting peace, promote 
better governance, and advance sustainable economic growth, we must empower 
women as full and equal partners at every step''; and

    (6) ``women are half the population . . . [i]t's only right that they 
be full participants in the discussions and decisions that shape our 
present and those that will shape our futures'';

Whereas, despite the achievements of individual female leaders--

    (1) women around the world remain vastly underrepresented in--

    G    (A) high-level positions; and

    G    (B) national and local legislatures and governments; and

    (2) according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 
24.1 percent of national parliamentarians and 18.3 percent of government 
ministers;

Whereas the ability of women and girls to realize their full potential is 
        critical to the ability of a country to achieve strong and lasting 
        economic growth, self-reliance, and political and social stability;
Whereas, although the United Nations Millennium Project reached the goal of 
        achieving gender parity in primary education in most countries in 2015, 
        more work remains to be done to achieve gender equality in primary and 
        secondary education, and particularly in secondary education worldwide 
        as gender gaps persist and widen, by addressing--

    (1) discriminatory practices;

    (2) cultural norms;

    (3) inadequate sanitation facilities;

    (4) child, early, and forced marriage; and

    (5) other factors that favor boys or devalue girls' education;

Whereas women around the world face a variety of constraints that severely limit 
        their economic participation and productivity and remain 
        underrepresented in the labor force;
Whereas women's economic empowerment is inextricably linked to a myriad of other 
        human rights that are essential to the ability of women to thrive as 
        economic actors, including--

    (1) living lives free of violence and exploitation;

    (2) achieving the highest possible standard of health and well-being;

    (3) enjoying full legal and human rights, such as access to 
registration, identification, and citizenship documents, and freedom of 
movement;

    (4) benefitting from formal and informal education;

    (5) benefitting from equal protection of and access to land and 
property rights;

    (6) receiving access to fundamental labor rights;

    (7) the implementation of policies to address disproportionate care 
burdens; and

    (8) receiving business and management skills and leadership 
opportunities;

Whereas closing the global gender gap in labor markets could increase worldwide 
        gross domestic product by as much as $28,000,000,000,000 by 2025;
Whereas, pursuant to section 3(b) of the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic 
        Empowerment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-428), it is the international 
        development cooperation policy of the United States--

    (1) to reduce gender disparities with respect to economic, social, 
political, educational, and cultural resources, wealth, opportunities, and 
services;

    (2) to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and mitigate its 
harmful effects on individuals and communities including through efforts to 
develop standards and capacity to reduce gender-based violence in the 
workplace and other places where women work;

    (3) to support activities that secure private property rights and land 
tenure for women in developing countries, including--

    G    (A) legal frameworks that give women equal rights to own, 
register, use, profit from, and inherit land and property;

    G    (B) improving legal literacy to enable women to exercise the 
rights described in subparagraph (A); and

    G    (C) improving the capacity of law enforcement and community 
leaders to enforce such rights;

    (4) to increase the capability of women and girls to fully exercise 
their rights, determine their life outcomes, assume leadership roles, and 
influence decision making in households, communities, and societies; and

    (5) to improve the access of women and girls to education, particularly 
higher education opportunities in business, finance, and management, in 
order to enhance financial literacy and business development, management, 
and strategy skills;

Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, global maternal mortality 
        decreased by approximately 44 percent between 1990 and 2015, yet 
        approximately 830 women and girls continue to die from preventable 
        causes relating to pregnancy or childbirth each day, and 99 percent of 
        all maternal deaths occur in developing countries;
Whereas the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports 
        that women and girls comprise approximately \1/2\ of the 68,500,000 
        refugees and internally displaced or stateless individuals in the world;
Whereas it is imperative--

    (1) to alleviate violence and discrimination against women and girls; 
and

    (2) to afford women every opportunity to be full and productive members 
of their communities; and

Whereas March 8, 2019, is recognized as International Women's Day, a global 
        day--

    (1) to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of 
women in the past, present, and future; and

    (2) to recognize the obstacles that women face in the struggle for 
equal rights and opportunities: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals of International Women's Day;
            (2) recognizes that the empowerment of women is 
        inextricably linked to the potential of a country to generate--
                    (A) economic growth;
                    (B) sustainable democracy; and
                    (C) inclusive security;
            (3) recognizes and honors individuals in the United States 
        and around the world, including women human rights defenders 
        and civil society leaders, who have worked throughout history 
        to ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human 
        rights;
            (4) recognizes the unique cultural, historical, and 
        religious differences throughout the world and urges the United 
        States Government to act with respect and understanding toward 
        legitimate differences when promoting any policies;
            (5) reaffirms the commitment--
                    (A) to end discrimination and violence against 
                women and girls;
                    (B) to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of 
                women and girls;
                    (C) to pursue policies that guarantee the 
                fundamental human rights of women and girls worldwide; 
                and
                    (D) to promote meaningful and significant 
                participation of women in every aspect of society and 
                community;
            (6) supports sustainable, measurable, and global 
        development that seeks to achieve gender equality and the 
        empowerment of women and girls; and
            (7) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        International Women's Day with appropriate programs and 
        activities.
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