Do Women Need to Play a Larger Role in Preventing and Resolving Armed Conflict? (H.R. 5332)

What is H.R. 5332?

(Updated May 6, 2020)

This bill would express the sense of Congress that the U.S. should be a global leader in promoting the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution, in addition to post-conflict relief and recovery efforts.

The president would be required to submit to Congress and make publicly available a Women, Peace, and Security Strategy before October 1 in 2017, 2022, and 2027 that:

• Is aligned with other nations’ plans to improve the participation of women in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace building, and decision-making institutions in conflict-affected environments;

• Includes goals and evaluation plans to ensure the strategy’s effectiveness.

State Department personnel responsible for going to conflict zones would receive training in the following areas with an emphasis on ensuring the participation of women in:

• Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution;

• Protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and human trafficking;

• International human rights law.

Dept. of Defense personnel that go to conflict zones would receive training on conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution initiatives that address the importance of participation by women.  Additionally, they’d be trained in gender considerations and elements of international human rights law aimed at protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and human trafficking.

The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development would establish guidelines for overseas American personnel to consult with stakeholders about U.S. efforts to:

• Prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict;

• Enhance the success of mediation and negotiation.

Argument in favor

Women need to play a larger role in global peace negotiations and conflict prevention talks, and this bill would lead to a comprehensive strategy that ensures they’re fairly represented in U.S. negotiations.

Argument opposed

There doesn’t need to be a concerted effort to get women more involved in peace negotiations. If they have risen to positions in the State Department or other agencies that merit it, they’ll have a seat at the table.

Impact

Women who work for federal agencies in roles that would allow them to take part in peace negotiations or conflict prevention activities; the State Dept., DOD, and USAID; and the president.

Cost of H.R. 5332

The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost $15 million over the 2017-2021 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) introduced this bill to ensure that women are fairly represented in peace negotiations and conflict prevention talks that the U.S. participates in:

“Conflict knows no gender just as peace should know no gender, and still, women are underrepresented when it comes to preventing conflicts and building peace. The bipartisan Women, Peace and Security Act ensures, through meaningful congressional oversight, that women have a seat at the table during peace negotiations. Especially at a time when the world is so volatile, I’m grateful to my colleagues for working to advance this tool, which we’re hopeful will produce more sustainable outcomes during future conflict resolution and peace negotiation processes.”

This legislation was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by unanimous consent. It has the support of 48 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, including 36 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

Of Note: A study by the nonprofit group Inclusive Security found that peace agreements negotiated with the involvement of women are 35 percent more likely to last 15 years.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) Press Release
  
• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• Inclusive Security
  
• Women’s Policy
  
• J Street (In Favor)