SR0094 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0094 LRB103 31077 MST 57710 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, International Women's Day commemorates the global, centuries-long struggle of women to participate fully and equitably in society; and

WHEREAS, Women's Day first emerged as the result of various labor and suffrage movements in North America and Europe in the early 20th century; and

WHEREAS, The United Nations celebrated its first official International Women's Day on March 8, 1975 during International Women's Year; and

WHEREAS, Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and women's full empowerment and participation is integral to solving society's most threatening social, economic, and political problems; and

WHEREAS, International Women's Day is intended to focus the global community's attention on accelerating gender parity; and

WHEREAS, The theme of this year's International Women's Day, Embrace Equity, seeks to get the world talking about why equal opportunities are no longer enough and can in fact be exclusionary, rather than inclusive; and

WHEREAS, The health disparities that women face have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Healthy women are the backbone of a thriving, stable, and resilient society; and

WHEREAS, International Women's Day is an opportune time to raise awareness of the inequity in women's health and begin efforts to improve such inequities while encouraging all women to prioritize their health; and

WHEREAS, March 8th of each year is recognized as International Women's Day by countries around the world to celebrate the past, present, and future achievements of women as well as the obstacles that women continue to face in their struggle for equal rights and gender equality; and

WHEREAS, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on the progress we have made in the economic, social, and political achievements of women and to reaffirm our commitment to pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both statewide and globally, to promote meaningful and significant participation of women in all facets of our society, to encourage equitable access to and healthcare for all women and girls, and to support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender parity and empower all women; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare March 8, 2023 as "International Women's Day" in the State of Illinois in order to reflect on the progress made thus far in women's rights; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we reaffirm the State's commitment to pursue strategies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls, to promote meaningful and significant participation of women in all aspects of our society, to encourage equitable access to and healthcare for all women and girls, and to support policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender parity and empower all women.