I 114th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5332 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 25, 2016 Mrs. Noem (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky , Mr. Royce , and Mr. Engel ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs , and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To ensure that the United States promotes the meaningful participation of women in mediation and negotiations processes seeking to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.

1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Around the world, women remain under-represented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict peace building efforts. (2) Despite the historic under-representation of women in conflict resolution processes, women in conflict-affected regions have nevertheless achieved significant success in— (A) moderating violent extremism; (B) countering terrorism; (C) resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation and negotiation; and (D) stabilizing societies by enhancing the effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping efforts, institutions, and decisionmaking processes. (3) Research shows that— (A) peace negotiations are more likely to end in a peace agreement when women’s groups play an influential role in the negotiation process; (B) once reached, a peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years if women have participated in the negotiation process; and (C) when women meaningfully participate, peace negotiations are more likely to address the conflict’s underlying causes, leading to more sustainable outcomes. 3. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and conflict resolution processes helps to promote more inclusive and democratic societies and is critical to the long-term stability of countries and regions; and (2) the United States should be a global leader in promoting the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts. 4. Statement of Policy; Sense of Congress (a) Statement of Policy It shall be the policy of the United States to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of conflict prevention, management, and resolution, reinforced through diplomatic efforts and programs that— (1) integrate the perspectives and interests of affected women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies; (2) encourage partner governments to adopt plans to improve the meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes and decisionmaking institutions; (3) promote the physical safety, economic security, and dignity of women and girls; (4) support the equal access of women to aid distribution mechanisms and services; (5) collect and analyze gender data for the purpose of developing and enhancing early warning systems of conflict and violence; (6) adjust policies and programs to improve outcomes in gender equality and the empowerment of women; and (7) monitor, analyze, and evaluate implementation efforts and the impact of such efforts. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of the Congress that the President, in implementing each strategy submitted under section 5 , should— (1) provide technical assistance, training, and logistical support to female negotiators, mediators, peace builders, and stakeholders; (2) address security-related barriers to the meaningful participation of women; (3) increase the participation of women in existing programs funded by the United States Government that provide training to foreign nationals regarding law enforcement, the rule of law, or professional military education; (4) support appropriate local organizations, especially women's peace building organizations; (5) support the training, education, and mobilization of men and boys as partners in support of the meaningful participation of women; (6) encourage the development of transitional justice and accountability mechanisms that are inclusive of the experiences and perspectives of women and girls; (7) expand and apply gender analysis to improve program design and targeting; and (8) conduct assessments that include the perspectives of women before implementing new projects or activities in support of peace negotiations, transitional justice and accountability, efforts to counter violent extremism, or security sector reform. 5. United States Strategy to Promote the Participation of Women in Conflict Prevention and Peace Building (a) Requirement Not later than October 1, 2017, October 1, 2022, and October 1, 2027, the President, in consultation with the head of each relevant Federal department and agency, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and make publicly available a single government-wide strategy, to be known as the Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, that provides a detailed description of how the United States intends to fulfill the policy objectives in section 4 . The strategy shall— (1) support and be aligned with plans developed by other nations to improve the meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace building, transitional processes, and decisionmaking institutions in conflict-affected environments; and (2) include specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, performance metrics, timetables, and monitoring and evaluation plans to ensure the accountability and effectiveness of all policies, programs, projects, and activities carried out under the strategy. (b) Specific Plans for Agencies Each strategy under subsection (a) shall include a specific implementation plan from each relevant Federal department and agency that describes— (1) the anticipated contributions of the department or agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind contributions, to implement the strategy; and (2) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that the activities and programs carried out pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term sustainability. (c) Coordination The President should promote the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, in coordination and consultation with international partners, including multilateral organizations, stakeholders, and other relevant international organizations, particularly in circumstances in which direct engagement is not appropriate or advisable. 6. Training Requirements Regarding the Participation of Women in Conflict Prevention and Peace Building (a) Foreign Service Section 704 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 ( 22 U.S.C. 4024 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (e) The Secretary, in conjunction with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (including special envoys, members of mediation or negotiation teams, relevant members of the civil service or foreign service, and contractors) responsible for or deploying to countries or regions considered to be at risk of, undergoing, or emerging from violent conflict obtain training, as appropriate, in the following areas, each of which shall include a focus on women and ensuring meaningful participation by women: (1) Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution. (2) Protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons. (3) International human rights law and international humanitarian law. . (b) Department of Defense (1) Chapter 107 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Women. (a) In general Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (including members of the armed forces, members of mediation or negotiation teams, and relevant members of the civil service) responsible for or deploying to countries or regions considered to be at risk of, undergoing, or emerging from violent conflict obtain training, as appropriate, in the following areas: (1) Advanced training in conflict prevention, peace processes, mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that specifically addresses the importance of meaningful participation by women. (2) Gender considerations and meaningful participation by women, including training regarding— (A) international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as relevant; and (B) protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons. (3) Effective strategies and best practices for ensuring meaningful participation by women. (b) Existing training All training provided in accordance with subsection (a) shall be incorporated into existing pre-deployment training. . (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 107 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item: 2158. Training for Ensuring Meaningful Participation by Women. . (c) Collaboration with the United Nations The Secretary of State should work with the United Nations and the international community to increase the meaningful participation of women in international peacekeeping operations, and should promote training that provides international peacekeeping personnel with the substantive knowledge and skills needed to effectively ensure the physical security and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and peace building. 7. Consultation with Stakeholders (a) In general The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall establish guidelines for overseas United States personnel to consult with stakeholders regarding United States efforts to— (1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and (2) enhance the success of mediation and negotiation processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women. (b) Frequency and scope Consultations under subsection (a) shall take place regularly and include a range and representative sample of stakeholders, including local women, youth, ethnic and religious minorities, and other politically under-represented or marginalized populations. 8. Reports to Congress (a) Briefing The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the Secretary of Defense, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees, not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, on— (1) existing, enhanced, and newly established training carried out pursuant to section 6 and the amendments made by such section; and (2) the guidelines established for overseas United States diplomatic and consular personnel to engage in consultations with United States and international stakeholders, pursuant to section 7 . (b) Report on Women, Peace, and Security Strategy Not later than 1 year after the date of the submission of each strategy required under section 5 , the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that— (1) outlines the monitoring and evaluation tools, mechanisms, and common indicators to assess progress made on the policy objectives in section 4 ; (2) summarizes United States diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance programs, projects, and activities to promote the meaningful participation of women; and (3) summarizes and evaluates the impact of the programs, projects, and activities that support the policy objectives in section 4 . 9. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate Congressional Committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. (2) Stakeholders The term stakeholders means nongovernmental and private sector entities engaged in or affected by conflict prevention and stabilization, peace-building, protection, security, transition initiatives, humanitarian response, or related efforts, including— (A) registered or nonregistered nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, business or trade associations, labor unions, cooperatives, credit unions, relief or development organizations, community and faith-based organizations, philanthropic foundations, and tribal leaders or structures; (B) independent media, educational, or research institutions; and (C) private enterprises, including international development firms, banks, and other financial institutions, particularly small businesses and businesses owned by women or disadvantaged groups. (3) Meaningful Participation The term meaningful participation means, with respect to the full range of formal or informal processes related to negotiation or mediation, safe, genuine, and effective access to, and present and active involvement in— (A) conflict prevention; (B) efforts to resolve, mitigate, or transition from violent conflict; (C) peacekeeping and peace-building efforts; (D) post-conflict reconstruction, transition initiatives, and governance; and (E) humanitarian response. (4) Relevant Federal Departments and Agencies The term relevant Federal departments and agencies means— (A) the United States Agency for International Development; (B) the Department of State; (C) the Department of Defense; (D) the Department of Homeland Security; (E) the Department of Justice; (F) the Department of the Treasury; (G) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; (H) the Peace Corps; (I) the Office of the United States Trade Representative; (J) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (K) any other department or agency specified by the President for purposes of this Act.