Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member Engel for yielding to me, and I rise in strong support of the Women, Peace, and Security Act.

I first want to thank my Republican colead on this bill, Kristi Noem, for her hard work; and I want to express my gratitude to Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their robust support for this legislation.

I want to thank Senator Shaheen and Senator Capito for their work in the Senate on this, as well as Senators Corker and Cardin.

I want to thank the staff who has put in a lot of hours on this, last session and this session, including my staff, Cassandra Varanka.

Around the world, women are disproportionately affected by conflict and violence. At the same time, women are acting as some of the most effective advocates for peace. Again and again, women have proven their ability to advance peacemaking efforts where others have failed.

Look at Syria. In the town of Zabadani, women have been leading efforts to save their city from violence. Over 470 women signed a public petition, calling for a cease-fire. Their town had been under siege, experiencing daily shelling and barrel bombings. As the formal negotiations between the rebel-controlled local council and the Assad government constantly broke down, the war prevented the town from planting crops.

A group of women peace activists came together to found a group called Damma, and they facilitated negotiations between the local council, the Free Syrian Army, and the Islamic brigades. Where the traditional actors had failed, these women moved through five rounds of negotiations, ultimately achieving a cease-fire. Now, the cease-fire only lasted 40 days, but those 40 days gave the town critical time to plant crops and address its food shortage.

The power of women to advance peace and aid in postconflict reconciliation is not limited to Syria. Women in Liberia played a crucial role in bringing warring parties to the negotiating table, as the chairman said.

When the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a major peace agreement in 2004, women made up 50 percent of the government's negotiating team and 25 percent of the signatories.

In Ireland, women helped ensure that the Good Friday Agreement included social issues, reconciliation measures, and compensation for victims of violence.

Women around the world are actively working to advance peace talks and ensure successful transformation from conflict to peace. Passing the Women, Peace, and Security Act will ensure that the United States actively supports these incredible women as we work toward ending conflict around the world.

When women are involved in the negotiations, peace is more likely to last. In fact, the International Peace Institute found that, with each 5 percent increase in women's participation in the political process, a nation is five times less likely to use violence when faced with international crisis or conflict.

Despite the strong evidence in favor of women's political participation, women remain underrepresented in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and postconflict peace building efforts around the world. We need to change that.

This legislation establishes women's participation as a critical element of U.S. foreign policy. It would encourage the United States to assist women mediators and negotiators by addressing barriers to their equal and secure participation in peace processes.

It would institute comprehensive training modules on the protection, rights, and specific needs of women in conflict, and require the administration to evaluate the impact of U.S. foreign assistance on women's meaningful participation.

In addition, the Women, Peace, and Security Act would require the administration to report to Congress its strategy to promote women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution.

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