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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The United States of America has been a member of
3the United Nations since the adoption of the United Nations
4Charter in October of 1945; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Over the years, the United Nations and its members
6have adopted various resolutions, implemented international
7agreements, and engaged in policy commitments regarding
8violence against women and girls and gender discrimination and
9inequality; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In December of 1979, the United Nations General
11Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms
12of Discrimination Against Women which affirmed human rights and
13fundamental freedoms and equality for women around the world
14while establishing an agenda to end all forms of discrimination
15against women; and
 
16    WHEREAS, By accepting and ratifying the Convention, Member
17States commit to take all appropriate measures to eliminate
18discrimination against women, including the incorporation of
19the principle of equality of men and women in their legal
20system and abolishing all laws which discriminate against
21women; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The United States was one of the 99 signatories to
2the Convention; however, the United States is one of only 2
3signatories which have not yet ratified the Convention; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In September of 1995, the Beijing Declaration and
5Platform for Action was adopted unanimously at the Fourth World
6Conference on Women; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is
8an agenda for women's empowerment aimed at removing all
9obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of
10public and private life through a full and equal share in
11economic, social, cultural, and political decision-making; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
13provides progressive road maps for gender equality and
14identifies specific actions for governments to take to prevent
15and respond to violence against women and girls; and
 
16    WHEREAS, At the United Nations Millennium Summit in
17September of 2000, promoting gender equality and empowering
18women was set as one of the Millennium Development Goals, with
19a target of eliminating gender disparity in all levels of
20education by 2015; and
 
21    WHEREAS, September of 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of

 

 

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1the Beijing Declaration, as well as the deadline to adopt a
2post-2015 agenda with new sustainable development goals,
3including goals on gender equality; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The United States Report on the Implementation of
5the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action declares that
6the United States strongly supports a stand-alone goal on
7gender equality and women's and girl's empowerment in the
8post-2015 development goals; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The United Nations Summit for the adoption of the
10post-2015 development agenda will be held on September 25-27,
112015; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
14CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize the hard work and effort
15put forth by all parties assisting with the adoption of the
16post-2015 agenda for sustainable development by the United
17Nations; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That we support a stand-alone goal in the
19post-2015 development agenda on gender equality, women's
20rights, and women's empowerment; a goal that is grounded in
21human rights and tackles unequal power relations; and be it
22further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we support goals that address violence
2against women, the need to expand women's choices and equal
3opportunities, and the need to ensure that all women have a
4voice within households and in public and private
5decision-making; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That we, as elected representatives of the
7people, respectfully but emphatically urge the United States to
8participate in the Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up For Gender
9Equality Campaign through the following actions: (1) by
10committing to promote gender equality through the
11implementation of new and strengthening of existing laws; (2)
12the establishment of national action plans, strategies, and
13policies; (3) enhancing women's leadership and participation
14at all levels of decision-making; (4) confronting and
15addressing social norms and stereotypes that perpetuate gender
16inequality, discrimination, and violence against women and
17girls; (5) investing in gender equality at all levels; and (6)
18launching public mobilization and national awareness campaigns
19to promote gender equality; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Senate to ratify
21the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
22Discrimination Against Women to further the commitment to
23gender equality; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
2presented to United States President Barack Obama, United
3States Secretary of State John Kerry, and the members of the
4Illinois congressional delegation.