text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Women, Peace, and Security Act of 
  2016''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) Around the world, women remain under-represented in 
          conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict 
          peace building efforts.
              (2) Despite the historic under-representation of women in 
          conflict resolution processes, women in conflict-affected 
          regions have nevertheless achieved significant success in--
                      (A) moderating violent extremism;
                      (B) countering terrorism;
                      (C) resolving disputes through nonviolent mediation 
                  and negotiation; and
                      (D) stabilizing societies by enhancing the 
                  effectiveness of security services, peacekeeping 
                  efforts, institutions, and decision-making processes.
              (3) Research shows that--
                      (A) peace negotiations are more likely to end in a 
                  peace agreement when women's groups play an influential 
                  role in the negotiation process;
                      (B) once reached, a peace agreement is 35 percent 
                  more likely to last at least 15 years if women have 
                  participated in the negotiation process; and
                      (C) when women meaningfully participate, peace 
                  negotiations are more likely to address the underlying 
                  causes of the conflict, leading to more sustainable 
                  outcomes.
  
  SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
  
      It is the sense of Congress that--
              (1) the meaningful participation of women in conflict 
          prevention and conflict resolution processes helps to promote 
          more inclusive and democratic societies and is critical to the 
          long-term stability of countries and regions;
              (2) the political participation and leadership of women in 
          fragile environments, particularly during democratic 
          transitions, is critical to sustaining lasting democratic 
          institutions; and
              (3) the United States should be a global leader in 
          promoting the meaningful participation of women in conflict 
          prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict 
          relief and recovery efforts.
  
  SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
  
      It shall be the policy of the United States to promote the 
  meaningful participation of women in all aspects of conflict 
  prevention, management, and resolution, and post-conflict relief and 
  recovery efforts, reinforced through diplomatic efforts and programs 
  that--
              (1) integrate the perspectives and interests of affected 
          women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies;
              (2) encourage partner governments to adopt plans to improve 
          the meaningful participation of women in peace and security 
          processes and decision-making institutions;
              (3) promote the physical safety, economic security, and 
          dignity of women and girls;
              (4) support the equal access of women to aid distribution 
          mechanisms and services;
              (5) collect and analyze gender data for the purpose of 
          developing and enhancing early warning systems of conflict and 
          violence;
              (6) adjust policies and programs to improve outcomes in 
          gender equality and the empowerment of women; and
              (7) monitor, analyze, and evaluate the efforts related to 
          each strategy submitted under section 5 and the impact of such 
          efforts.
  
  SEC. 5. UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN 
                CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.
  
      (a) Requirement.--Not later than October 1, 2017, October 1, 2022, 
  and October 1, 2027, the President, in consultation with the heads of 
  the relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit to the 
  appropriate congressional committees and make publicly available a 
  single government-wide strategy, to be known as the Women, Peace, and 
  Security Strategy, that provides a detailed description of how the 
  United States intends to fulfill the policy objectives in section 4. 
  The strategy shall--
              (1) support and be aligned with plans developed by other 
          countries to improve the meaningful participation of women in 
          peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace 
          building, transitional processes, and decision-making 
          institutions; and
              (2) include specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, 
          performance metrics, timetables, and monitoring and evaluation 
          plans, to ensure the accountability and effectiveness of all 
          policies and initiatives carried out under the strategy.
      (b) Specific Plans for Agencies.--Each strategy under subsection 
  (a) shall include a specific implementation plan from each of the 
  relevant Federal departments and agencies that describes--
              (1) the anticipated contributions of the department or 
          agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind 
          contributions, to implement the strategy; and
              (2) the efforts of the department or agency to ensure that 
          the policies and initiatives carried out pursuant to the 
          strategy are designed to achieve maximum impact and long-term 
          sustainability.
      (c) Department of State Implementation.--Within each relevant 
  bureau of the Department of State, the Secretary of State shall task 
  the current Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary with the 
  responsibility for the implementation of the strategy under subsection 
  (a) and the specific implementation plan for the Department under 
  subsection (b), with respect to the roles and responsibilities of such 
  bureau. The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaries tasked with such 
  responsibility shall meet, at least twice a year, to review the 
  implementation of the strategy and the plan and to contribute to the 
  report under section 8(b).
      (d) Coordination.--The President should promote the meaningful 
  participation of women in conflict prevention, in coordination and 
  consultation with international partners, including multilateral 
  organizations, stakeholders, and other relevant international 
  organizations, particularly in situations in which the direct 
  engagement of the United States is not appropriate or advisable.
      (e) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
  President, in implementing each strategy submitted under subsection 
  (a), should--
              (1) provide technical assistance, training, and logistical 
          support to female negotiators, mediators, peace builders, and 
          stakeholders;
              (2) address security-related barriers to the meaningful 
          participation of women;
              (3) increase the participation of women in existing 
          programs funded by the United States Government that provide 
          training to foreign nationals regarding law enforcement, the 
          rule of law, or professional military education;
              (4) support appropriate local organizations, especially 
          women's peace building organizations;
              (5) support the training, education, and mobilization of 
          men and boys as partners in support of the meaningful 
          participation of women;
              (6) encourage the development of transitional justice and 
          accountability mechanisms that are inclusive of the experiences 
          and perspectives of women and girls;
              (7) expand and apply gender analysis to improve program 
          design and targeting; and
              (8) conduct assessments that include the perspectives of 
          women before implementing any new initiatives in support of 
          peace negotiations, transitional justice and accountability, 
          efforts to counter violent extremism, or security sector 
          reform.
  
  SEC. 6. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN 
                CONFLICT PREVENTION AND PEACE BUILDING.
  
      (a) Foreign Service.--The Secretary of State, in conjunction with 
  the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
  Development, shall ensure that all appropriate personnel (including 
  special envoys, members of mediation or negotiation teams, relevant 
  members of the civil service or Foreign Service, and contractors) 
  responsible for or deploying to countries or regions considered to be 
  at risk of, undergoing, or emerging from violent conflict obtain 
  training, as appropriate, in the following areas, each of which shall 
  include a focus on women and ensuring meaningful participation by 
  women:
              (1) Conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.
              (2) Protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and 
          trafficking in persons.
              (3) International human rights law and international 
          humanitarian law.
      (b) Department of Defense.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
  that relevant personnel receive training, as appropriate, in the 
  following areas:
              (1) Training in conflict prevention, peace processes, 
          mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that 
          specifically addresses the importance of meaningful 
          participation by women.
              (2) Gender considerations and meaningful participation by 
          women, including training regarding--
                      (A) international human rights law and 
                  international humanitarian law, as relevant; and
                      (B) protecting civilians from violence, 
                  exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
              (3) Effective strategies and best practices for ensuring 
          meaningful participation by women.
  
  SEC. 7. CONSULTATION AND COLLABORATION.
  
      (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of 
  the United States Agency for International Development shall establish 
  guidelines for overseas United States personnel of the Department or 
  the Agency, as the case may be, to consult with stakeholders regarding 
  United States efforts to--
              (1) prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and
              (2) enhance the success of mediation and negotiation 
          processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women.
      (b) Frequency and Scope.--The consultations required under 
  subsection (a) shall take place regularly and include a range and 
  representative sample of stakeholders, including local women, youth, 
  ethnic and religious minorities, and other politically under-
  represented or marginalized populations.
      (c) Collaboration and Coordination.--The Secretary of State should 
  work with international, regional, national, and local organizations to 
  increase the meaningful participation of women in international 
  peacekeeping operations, and should promote training that provides 
  international peacekeeping personnel with the substantive knowledge and 
  skills needed to ensure effective physical security and meaningful 
  participation of women in conflict prevention and peace building.
  
  SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
  
      (a) Briefing.--The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the 
  Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
  and the Secretary of Defense, shall brief the appropriate congressional 
  committees, not later than 1 year after the date of the first 
  submission of a strategy required under section 5, on--
              (1) existing, enhanced, and newly established training 
          carried out pursuant to section 6; and
              (2) the guidelines established for overseas United States 
          personnel to engage in consultations with stakeholders, 
          pursuant to section 7.
      (b) Report on Women, Peace, and Security Strategy.--Not later than 
  2 years after the date of the submission of each strategy required 
  under section 5, the President shall submit to the appropriate 
  congressional committees a report that--
              (1) summarizes and evaluates the implementation of such 
          strategy and the impact of United States diplomatic efforts and 
          foreign assistance programs, projects, and activities to 
          promote the meaningful participation of women;
              (2) describes the nature and extent of the coordination 
          among the relevant Federal departments and agencies on the 
          implementation of such strategy;
              (3) outlines the monitoring and evaluation tools, 
          mechanisms, and common indicators to assess progress made on 
          the policy objectives in section 4; and
              (4) describes the existing, enhanced, and newly established 
          training carried out pursuant to section 6.
  
  SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
          ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                      (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                  on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign 
                  Relations of the Senate; and
                      (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                  on Armed Services, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
                  of the House of Representatives.
              (2) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means non-
          governmental and private sector entities engaged in or affected 
          by conflict prevention and stabilization, peace building, 
          protection, security, transition initiatives, humanitarian 
          response, or related efforts, including--
                      (A) registered or non-registered nonprofit 
                  organizations, advocacy groups, business or trade 
                  associations, labor unions, cooperatives, credit 
                  unions, relief or development organizations, community 
                  and faith-based organizations, philanthropic 
                  foundations, and tribal leaders or structures;
                      (B) independent media, educational, or research 
                  institutions; and
                      (C) private enterprises, including international 
                  development firms, banks, and other financial 
                  institutions, particularly small businesses and 
                  businesses owned by women or disadvantaged groups.
              (3) Meaningful participation.--The term ``meaningful 
          participation'' means safe, genuine, and effective access to, 
          and present and active involvement in the full range of formal 
          or informal processes related to negotiation or mediation with 
          respect to any efforts toward the following:
                      (A) Conflict prevention.
                      (B) Resolution or mitigation of, or transition 
                  from, violent conflict.
                      (C) Peacekeeping and peace building.
                      (D) Post-conflict reconstruction, transition 
                  initiatives, elections, and governance.
                      (E) Humanitarian response and recovery.
              (4) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term 
          ``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means--
                      (A) the United States Agency for International 
                  Development;
                      (B) the Department of State;
                      (C) the Department of Defense;
                      (D) the Department of Homeland Security; and
                      (E) any other department or agency specified by the 
                  President for purposes of this Act.
  
              Passed the House of Representatives November 15, 2016.
  
              Attest:
  
                                                   KAREN L. HAAS,
  
                                                                   Clerk.
target: Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should be a global leader in promoting the participation of women in conflict prevention, management, and resolution and post-conflict relief and recovery efforts; and (2) the political participation and leadership of women in fragile environments, particularly during democratic transitions, is critical to sustaining democratic institutions. The President, not later than October 1 of 2017, 2022, and 2027, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and make public a Women, Peace, and Security Strategy, which shall:    be aligned with other nations' plans to improve the participation of women in peace and security processes, conflict prevention, peace building, and decision-making institutions; and  include goals and evaluation plans to ensure strategy effectiveness.    Such a strategy shall include a specific implementation plan from each relevant federal agency.  The President is urged  to promote women's participation in conflict prevention.   It is the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) provide technical assistance and training to female negotiators, peace builders, and stakeholders (non-governmental and private sector entities engaged in or affected by conflict prevention and stabilization, peace building, security, or related efforts); (2) address security-related barriers to women's participation; (3) increase women's participation in U.S.-funded programs that provide foreign nationals with law enforcement, rule of law, or military education training; (4) support appropriate local organizations, especially women's peace building organizations; and (5) expand gender analysis to improve program design.  The Department of State shall ensure that personnel responsible for, or deploying to, countries or regions considered to be at risk of undergoing, or emerging from, violent conflict obtain training in the following areas, each of which shall include a focus on ensuring participation by women:   conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution;  protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons; and  international human rights law.  The Department of Defense shall ensure that relevant personnel receive training in:   conflict prevention, peace processes, mitigation, resolution, and security initiatives that addresses the importance of participation by women; and  gender considerations and participation by women, including training regarding international human rights law and protecting civilians from violence, exploitation, and trafficking in persons.   The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development shall establish guidelines for overseas U.S. personnel to consult with stakeholders regarding U.S. efforts to:   prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict; and  enhance the success of mediation and negotiation processes by ensuring the meaningful participation of women.    The State Department is urged to work with international, regional, national, and local organizations to increase the participation of women in international peacekeeping operations.  The State Department shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on: (1) training regarding the participation of women in conflict resolution, and (2) guidelines established for overseas personnel to engage in stakeholder consultations.   The President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that evaluates the implementation of such strategy and the impact of U.S. diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance programs to promote the participation of women.
feat_title: Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2016