The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY ACT OF 2017” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1280 on Sept. 27, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY ACT OF 2017
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speech of
HON. LOIS FRANKEL
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, September 25, 2017
Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this critical bill that will help ensure that women have a meaningful role in peace and security around the world. From Syria to Myanmar to South Sudan, violent conflicts are becoming more widespread and deadly. Women in conflict zones suffer tremendously, and women and girls make up around half of any refugee population, where they are at risk of unspeakable violence.
But women are not only victims. They also help moderate violent extremism and are key to post-conflict society building. Yet so few are present at the tables of power. In peace processes between 1992 and 2011, women made up only 9 percent of negotiators. When women have a seat at the table, the prospect that peace negotiations will succeed rise significantly, as does the likelihood that women's rights and interests will be addressed. A recent study from the International Peace Institute found that a peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last for at least 15 years if women participate in its drafting.
This legislation would require a governmentwide strategy to promote women's participation, and institutes training for State Department, USAID, and Pentagon personnel to facilitate women's engagement in conflict prevention and resolution.
I'd like to commend the progress made under President Obama on this issue, which includes issuing the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. In the last five years alone, the percentage of peace agreements referencing gender equality has increased from 22 to 70 percent.
We have an opportunity to make our voice heard on the issue of women in conflict. The UN Security Council will convene next month to hold its open debate on Women, Peace and Security. The United States should highlight its commitment to ensuring women's equal participation in peacemaking, and protecting their physical and economic security. That begins with sending a high-level delegation.
I urge adoption of the bill.
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