[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 376 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 376
Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 6, 2014
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Cardin, Ms.
Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Begich, Ms. Murkowski, and Ms. Landrieu) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
March 11, 2014
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
March 13, 2014
Considered and agreed to with an amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals of International Women's Day.
Whereas there are more than 3,500,000,000 women in the world today;
Whereas women around the world participate in the political, social, and
economic life of their communities, play a critical role in providing
and caring for their families, contribute substantially to the growth of
economies and the prevention of conflict, and, as both farmers and
caregivers, play an important role in advancing food security for their
communities;
Whereas the advancement of women around the world is a foreign policy priority
for the United States;
Whereas, on November 15, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry stated: ``Creating
opportunities for women is not just the right thing to do. It's also a
strategic necessity. Societies where women are safe, where women are
empowered to exercise their rights and to move their communities
forward--these societies are more prosperous and more stable--not
occasionally, but always.'';
Whereas, on December 19, 2011, the Obama Administration launched the first
United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security
(referred to in this preamble as the ``National Action Plan'') that
included a comprehensive set of national commitments to advance the
active participation of women in decisionmaking relating to matters of
war and peace;
Whereas the National Action Plan 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 peace-building and
conflict prevention, when their lives are protected, their experiences
considered, and their voices heard.'';
Whereas women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention and conflict
resolution efforts, despite proven successes by women in conflict-
affected regions in moderating violent extremism, countering terrorism,
resolving disputes through non-violent mediation and negotiation, and
stabilizing their societies by improving access to peace and security
services, institutions, and decisionmaking venues;
Whereas the ability of women to realize their full potential is critical to the
ability of a country to achieve strong and lasting economic growth and
political and social stability;
Whereas according to the International Monetary Fund, ``focusing on the needs
and empowerment of women is one of the keys to human development'';
Whereas according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 published by the World
Economic Forum, ``reducing gender inequality enhances productivity and
economic growth'';
Whereas according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, two-thirds of the 774,000,000 illiterate people in the
world are female;
Whereas according to the United States Agency for International Development,
``educated women are less likely to marry early and more likely to have
smaller and healthier families. They are also more likely to get a job
and earn a higher wage.'';
Whereas according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, the majority of women living in rural areas of the developing
world are heavily engaged in agricultural labor, yet they receive less
credit, land, agricultural inputs, and training than their male
counterparts;
Whereas according to the World Bank, women own or partly own over one-third of
small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, and 40
percent of the global workforce is female, yet, women entrepreneurs and
employers have disproportionately less access to capital and other
financial services;
Whereas despite strides in recent decades, women around the world continue to
face significant obstacles in all aspects of their lives, including
underrepresentation in all aspects of public life, denial of basic human
rights, and discrimination;
Whereas despite achievements by individual female leaders, women around the
world are still vastly underrepresented in high-level positions and in
national and local legislatures and governments and, according to the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, women account for only 21.4 percent of
national parliamentarians;
Whereas 1 in 3 women around the world has experienced some form of gender-based
violence, and 1 in 4 women has suffered abuse during pregnancy;
Whereas according to UN Women, violence against women causes more death and
disability for women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 than
cancer, war, traffic accidents, and malaria combined;
Whereas, on August 10, 2012, President Obama announced the first interagency
Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally;
Whereas violence against women and girls impedes progress in meeting many
international global development goals, including efforts to stem
maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS;
Whereas, on October 11, 2013, President Obama stated that the practice of child
marriage was a ``threat to fundamental human rights'';
Whereas according to the International Center for Research on Women, one-third
of girls worldwide are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 girls are
married before the age of 15;
Whereas according to Save the Children, pregnancy-related complications are a
leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in
developing countries;
Whereas according to the United Nations Population Fund, women have access to
fewer income-earning opportunities and tend to manage the household and
partake in agricultural work, thus increasing their vulnerability to
natural disasters and long-term changes in weather patterns;
Whereas it is imperative to alleviate violence and discrimination against women
and afford women every opportunity to be full and productive members of
their communities; and
Whereas March 8 is recognized each year as International Women's Day, a global
day to celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of
women past, present, and future, and a day to recognize the obstacles
that women still 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 countries to generate
economic growth, sustainable democracy, and inclusive security;
(3) recognizes and honors the women in the United States
and around the world who have worked throughout history to
ensure that women are guaranteed equality and basic human
rights;
(4) reaffirms the commitment to ending discrimination and
violence against women and girls, to ensuring the safety and
welfare of women and girls, to pursuing policies that guarantee
the basic human rights of women and girls worldwide, and to
promoting meaningful and significant participation of women in
all aspects of their societies and communities; and
(5) encourages the people of the United States to observe
International Women's Day with appropriate programs and
activities.
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