HUGE News: The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 is Now Law!
Now, the United States is required to increase and strengthen women’s participation in peace negotiations and conflict prevention. This is vital because, as the evidence shows, when women are at the table, enduring peace is more likely.
This BIPARTISAN legislation was championed by many members of Congress. Will you join us in thanking them for leading the charge on this essential issue?
SPONSORS & CO-SPONSORS
Senators
- Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH]
- Shelley Moore Capito [R-WV]
- Marco Rubio [R-FL]
- Chris Coons [D-DE]
- Ben Cardin [D-MD]
Representatives
- Kristi Noem [R-SD]
- Jan Schakowsky [D-IL]
- Ed Royce [R-CA]
- Eliot Engel [D-NY]
- Dan Donovan [R-NY]
- Ted Poe [R-TX]
- Brad Sherman [D-CA]
- Bill Keating [D-MA]
- Norma Torres [D-CA]
- Jackie Walorski [R-IN]
- Ryan Costello [R-PA]
- Ann Wagner [R-MO]
- Kevin Cramer [R-ND]
- Susan Brooks [R-IN]
- Charlie Dent [R-PA]
- Mike Bishop [R-MI]
- Chris Smith [R-NJ]
For the last five years, Inclusive Security has supported these congressional champions to pass this legislation—and it hasn’t come a moment too soon. Between 1992 and 2011, women made up just 2% of mediators, 4% of signatories, and 9% of negotiators in official peace talks. These numbers are abysmal, which is why this law is so needed.
Among other things, the Women, Peace, and Security Act:
- Mandates training for US defense, diplomatic, and development personnel on the value of women’s inclusion and strategies for achieving it
- Requires timely reports from the President and regular reporting to relevant congressional committees by the Secretaries of State and Defense, and the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development
- Makes it US policy to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of overseas conflict prevention, management, and resolution
- Calls on the President, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, to submit to Congress and make publicly available a government-wide Women, Peace, and Security Strategy
Please sign our card thanking those in Congress who helped make this idea a reality.
Thank you and congratulations to everyone who worked to get this passed—and who created the drum beat that made the issue so hard to ignore!
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