Shaheen, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing International Women’s Day 2018
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize March 8, 2018 as International Women’s Day to celebrate the achievements of women and girls around the globe, and to underscore the significant barriers that still stand in the way of women’s full equality.
“The International Women’s Day resolution signifies the United States’ commitment to breaking down barriers that continue to infringe on basic human rights and limit the potential of women and girls around the globe,” said Senator Shaheen. “These obstacles are in large part because women are not equally represented in governments at home and abroad – that must change. While today we certainly recognize how far women have come, we are also reminded of how much further we have to go.”
“International Women’s Day celebrates the significant social, economic, cultural, and political contributions women are making in the United States and around the globe,” said Senator Collins. “This resolution recognizes those achievements and reaffirms the Senate’s commitment to pursuing policies that ensure our mothers, daughters, and sisters are guaranteed basic human rights and are empowered to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
The resolution reaffirms the advancement of women around the globe as a US foreign policy priority and emphasizes that women throughout the world:
- Have fundamental rights;
- Participate in the political, social and economic lives of their communities;
- Play a critical role in providing and caring for their families;
- Contribute substantially to economic growth and the prevention and resolution of conflict; and
- Play an important role in the advancement of food security for their communities.
Shaheen and Collins have led the International Women’s Day resolution in the U.S. Senate since 2011, and both are lead sponsors of the Global, Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act. The Global HER Act would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule.
The only woman on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Shaheen has been a fierce advocate for women and girls in the United States and around the globe. Shaheen has prioritized issues to raise women up, such as opposing efforts to roll back women’s reproductive rights, fighting for the rights of sexual assault survivors, advocating on behalf of family planning and women’s global health, spearheading efforts to end violence against women, securing women leadership roles in conflict resolution and peace negotiations and authoring legislation to address barriers that girls around the world face in accessing education.
Earlier this year, bipartisan legislation co-authored by Senator Collins to help protect amateur athletes from sexual abuse was signed into law. Last fall, Senators Collins and Shaheen reintroduced the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA). This bipartisan bill would ensure that combatting gender-based violence around the world remains a top diplomatic and development priority for the United States. Senator Collins also introduced the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2017 last year, which would strengthen the U.S. government’s efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in developing nations around the world.
The International Women’s Day resolution text can be read here.
