Calling on the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Bill: 118-hres-445
Sponsor: full_name: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
Introduced: 2023-05-25
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2023-05-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution calls on the Senate to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, also known as CEDAW.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 445 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 25, 2023 Ms. Norton (for herself, Mr. Bowman , Ms. Omar , Mr. Grijalva , Ms. Titus , and Ms. Wilson of Florida ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling on the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex; Whereas the World Bank estimates that around 2,400,000,000 women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity, and 179 countries maintain legal barriers that prevent their full economic participation; Whereas the United Nations estimates that nearly one in five young women globally are married before the age of 18; Whereas the World Bank estimates that women globally have only three-quarters of the legal rights afforded to men; Whereas the United Nations estimates that it would take another 40 years for women and men to be equally represented in national governments; Whereas the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (referred to hereafter as CEDAW ) condemns discrimination against women in all its forms, and establishes an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women and ensure the advancement of women in education, employment, and health care and in political, social, economic, and cultural fields through legislative action and legal protections; Whereas the CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, and signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, but has never been brought before the full Senate for a vote; Whereas 189 countries have ratified the CEDAW, and the United States joins only Iran, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tongo in not ratifying the CEDAW; Whereas dozens of cities, counties, and States in the United States have passed resolutions in support of CEDAW’s ratification; Whereas San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Clara, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Honolulu, and Miami-Dade County have passed binding local ordinances to implement the principles of the CEDAW; Whereas, on January 10, 2023, the District of Columbia enacted the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Amendment Act, which requires that all District government agencies conduct gender analyses every 2 years, that the Commission for Women develop a District-wide action plan to eliminate discrimination against women, and that the Commission for Women provide training on gender equity and human rights to District government employees, in accordance with the principles of the CEDAW; and Whereas President Joseph R. Biden supported ratification of the CEDAW when he was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives calls upon the Senate to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.