While International Women’s Day has been informally celebrated since the early 1900s, the United Nations officially recognized it in 1975, marking it as an annual observance to commemorate the importance of the woman in all aspects of society. In many countries, International Women’s Day has graduated to the status of national holiday, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Eritrea, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, among others.

We commend the efforts made these past several years in the United States towards raising the position of women. Federal agencies, including USAID or the state, defense, and justice departments, have taken heed to President Obama’s December 2011 Executive Order to establish a U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to ensure women’s participation in preventing conflict and keeping peace. In August of 2012, we celebrated the introduction of the Women, Peace, and Security Act to ensure that this National Action Plan would become more than just an executive order, that we would eventually see its implementation as national legislation.

Most recently, Congress passed the historical Violence Against Women Act. This strengthened our justice system and social services to ensure that women can protect themselves from violence within our own borders, that we can reduce the high rates of physical and sexual violence, so women can safely participate in all aspects of society without fear of attack.

In terms of women’s political participation, an historical number of females were elected composing 18.9% of the 113^th United States Congress—or 101 of the 535 seats (20 Senators, 81 House Members). To name a few significant achievements, Massachusetts saw its first woman elected to Senate (Elizabeth Warren). Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay and female politician to the Senate. New Hampshire became the first state with an all female delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.

And yet, there is still much to worry about. We may have seen historical gains, but we still fail to rank up to many other countries. While we may have 18.9% participation in Congress, many other countries charge ahead, including Iraq with 25.2% female composition of Parliament or Afghanistan with 27.7%. The Inter-Parliamentary Union ranks the United States as 77th out of 190 countries in terms of female participation. This is unacceptable for a country that prides itself on equality.

In the early 1900s, International Women’s Day focused on improving women’s status in the labor force. Certainly we have achieved much progress in this area since that time. However, women continue to be unfairly discriminated against in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women have lost 454,000 federal, state, and local government jobs compared with 267,000 by men since the end of the recession in June 2009 (Bloomberg News).

Even this past January, government payrolls cut approximately 8,000 positions for women compared with 1,000 for men. This imbalance is bound to continue as sequestration descends upon our economy, possibly trimming growth by 0.5% and prospectively eliminating 350,000 more jobs, according to Bloomberg News.

Take a moment this International Women’s Day to remember all that women have achieved and that still more needs to be done. Take part in the celebration of women by finding an event near you. We must remember that equality and protection for women means stability worldwide.

-Hannah Wheeler, Communications and Development Intern – Boston College Class of 2012

WAND members participated in this national campaign by presenting their own preferences, holding up signs in solidarity with protestors across the country. Some of these demands included investing in early childhood education, or healthcare spending, college tuition, job training for teens, medical research, and many others. It was a day to reflect on the escalating size of the Pentagon’s budget and refocus war expenses on programs that really matter. As an example, the Pentagon plans to invest almost $2.6 billion in constructing excess submarines. Instead, this money could be dedicated to domestic AIDS relief or global health and development funding. It could be used to improve American infrastructure or invigorate clean technology. The “Pull the Pork from the Pentagon” campaign was just one important step to reduce the swelling Defense spending and redirect it into human needs.

Click here for more pictures of the "Pull the Pork" campaign!

Today, the House of Representatives passed, by a margin of 286 to 138, the bi-partisan Senate version reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) legislation which puts forth means toward the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and imposes automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted. This marks a change of heart by House Republican Leadership who held up the reauthorization last year by refusing to bring the Senate’s version to the floor, passing its own version which left out important provisions, which stalled in bi-cameral reconciliations negotiations.

This year’s newly reauthorized VAWA contains new clauses not included in the original legislation from 1994 or subsequent reauthorizations in 2000 and 2005, extending protections to LGBT and Native American victims of domestic violence, and shining more light on the prevention of sexual assault.

House Republican Leadership did bring their own bill without these provisions to the floor before the Senate version giving their members an opportunity to vote on the record for a version they did agree with, even though it was known that they wouldn’t have the votes to pass it. Indeed it failed with 166 yes-votes and 267 no-votes.

And just to complicate things, this is all taking place during the impending threat of sequestration – across-the-board indiscriminate federal budget cuts slated to take effect tomorrow, March 1, if Congress does not take action to stop it. Funding for programs that directly address violence against women, like domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, children’s services, prevention, community outreach, and other state and local programs that provide services for victims and families, are all on the chopping block. We need Congress to get its act together and figure out a balanced way to cut our deficit that will not sacrifice the well-being of American women. Maybe they should look at the Pentagon budget, where outdated programs that military leaders have said they no longer want or need somehow continue to receive funding. We need Congress to reshape federal budget priorities and AND the way we care for our female citizens.

This is a case where “almost” just isn’t good enough. We must do our part to make sure ALL American women are safe and secure, reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act is just the first step.

If you missed the speech (maybe watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show – what an adorable winner) or want to review it again, please see the transcript here.

Overall the agenda that the President laid out looks pretty bold and wonderful to us at WAND and here is a sampling of a few things we especially liked:

• We agree that looming automatic “sequester” cuts are bad and especially agree that “some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training; Medicare and Social Security benefits.  That idea is even worse.”
• We really like the commitment to provide high-quality preschool for every child. Maybe we’ll send the President one of our “Children Ask the World of Us” posters. We liked many other new efforts supporting education and jobs and needed investments – including raising the minimum wage and increasing the number of high-tech investment hubs. Analysts have been wondering where the funds for these new investments will come from – especially since the President promised not to add to the deficit.  We’re a bit curious about this too but would like to recommend one good place to look for cost savings: the Pentagon.
• When it comes to Afghanistan, we are glad to hear the President’s intent to remove 34,000 troops during this year, but note that still leaves too many. Further, as the transition in Afghanistan moves forward, it is essential to plan how to help Afghanistan create a sustainable peace. One necessary ingredient is the leadership of Afghan women in this peace building effort.
• We were glad that the President highlighted (at least briefly) commitments to reduce nuclear weapons: “We will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands – because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead.”  Indeed, and part of our leadership should be moving forward to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enabling us to more effectively lead in detecting, deterring and confronting nuclear tests like those recently conducted in North Korea.
• It was great that the President noted the Senate’s recent passage of the Violence Against Women Act and called upon the House to do the same. We hope for swift reauthorization of VAWA this year.

The President ended by noting that as citizens, we all have obligations: “Well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our American story.” As WAND women we are ready to take on the role of citizen authors again this year as we work for sound budget priorities for a safe, secure and thriving America.

Many of WAND/WiLL Women in Congress commented on the President’s State of the Union Speech, to see a sampling of these click here.

The event both celebrated the progress that has been made integrating the U.S. NAP into the efforts of the State Department, U.S. AID, and the Department of Defense, and the sharing of knowledge and  experience between civil society organizations and government agencies. Particularly evident was the government-wide commitment to implementation of the women, peace, and security agenda. The event was also used as an opportunity to honor Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer, who will transition from the Administration back to civil society as the new Director of Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security.  Ambassador Verveer’s persistence, professionalism and profound effect on the lives of women and girls all over the world were echoed by many of her colleagues and friends.  At the event, the Ambassador also announced that President Obama had committed to making the Ambassador of Global Women’s Issues a permanent position within the State Department, securing U.S. efforts to ensure the progress and protection of women and girls globally.

WAND’s work to secure full implementation of the U.S. NAP through its policy and advocacy efforts, and partnership with David Cortright, director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, to promote the inclusion and protection of Afghan women through the withdrawal of U.S. troops, was highlighted at the U.S. CSWG Open House and Reception following the event.  Along with its 20+ U.S. CSWG partner organizations, representing a broad range of expertise, WAND hosted a resource table and shared information about our women, peace, and security work with representatives from government agencies, policymakers and congressional staff.

WAND Senior Public Policy Director Kathy Crandall Robinson manning the WAND table at the USIP Reception

WAND Public Policy Director Tanya Henderson with Ambassador Verveer

61 women in the House Democratic Caucus

On Thursday, January 3, 2013, new and returning members were sworn in to the 113^th Congress of the United States, including 81 women in the House of Representatives and 20 women in the Senate. Ten of these women were endorsed by WAND: Tammy Baldwin (WI-Sen)*, Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)*, Julia Brownley (CA-26), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Lois Frankel (FL-22)*, Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Ann Kuster (NH-02), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), and Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01). Thirty-nine of the women previously endorsed by WAND will also return to Congress next year.

WAND is excited to celebrate another “year of the woman” as a historic number of women take their seats at the table of power. We still have a long way to go before political parity is reached but we know that these new and returning women will be great champions for women and WAND’s issues. We can’t wait to get to work with them!

You can read more about the newly elected women, especially New Hampshire’s all-woman delegation, in this great New York Times article! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/politics/from-congress-to-halls-of-state-in-new-hampshire-women-rule.html

Many of the new members of Congress held open houses and receptions to welcome the public into their new offices and introduce themselves to Washington, D.C. WAND/WiLL staff members attended many of these events hosted by new WAND/WiLL Women in Congress:

Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17)

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02)

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09)

Senator Elizabeth Warren  (MA)

WAND Executive Director Susan Shaer and Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02)

WAND/WiLL Program Manager Maureen Campbell and Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-02)

Sharon Zimmerman
WAND Deputy Director

In a call today, military vets, state leaders and budget experts outlined the possible impact of automatic budget cuts on Georgia’s economy and why military and civilian leaders believe U.S. could afford necessary reductions in Pentagon spending.

For Immediate Release:                                                                          Date: August 23, 2012

Contacts:Rachel Wisch, Public Information Officer
Women’s Action for New Directions & Women Legislators’ Lobby
Cell: 202-599-0746 Email: rwisch@wand.org

Sara DuBois, Communications Director
National Security Network
Cell: 202-289-7113 Email: sdubois@nsnetwork.org

Georgia – A Georgia state senator was joined by a local military veteran and experts on national security and the Pentagon budget on a call today to address those fanning fears about automatic budget cuts slated for next year instead of finding a comprehensive, safe and secure alternative budget. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) is expected to speak tomorrow morning at the College of Coastal Georgia in Kingsland as part of a series of town hall meetings discussing these automatic “sequestration” cuts.

LISTEN to the call here

In addition to participation in this call, GA Senator Nan Grogan Orrock and Master Sergeant Bob Farquhar (ret.) will also attend Senator Chambliss’ town hall meeting tomorrow and will be available for comment on-site.

State Senator Nan Grogan Orrock (D-GA-36), President for the Women Legislators’ Lobby of Women’s Action for New Directions, delineated the specific devastating impacts ‘sequestration’ would have on nondefense programs, education and veterans. “The sequestration arrangement calls for across-the-board cuts to both Pentagon as well as domestic spending. Now we hear from the contractors that the Pentagon budget should be sacrosanct, that there should be no cuts there. What that of course would mean is that the cuts to the states, to the programs, to the jobs and services would be even deeper.”

Dr. Lawrence Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration and retired Naval Flight Officer, explained that defense contractors' fear-mongering about the impact on jobs is disingenuous, military bases would not be closed, contracts would not be terminated, and that the Pentagon has ample funds and options to meet 21^st century security challenges. “Even John McCain, who’s opposed to sequester, calls the way the Pentagon manages its weapons systems a scandal and a tragedy… I have to laugh when I see people from companies running around and saying ‘Whoa, if you have these cuts we’re going to have to lay off all these people’…In the last five years, from 2006 to 2011, the defense budget went up by 13%. Lockheed actually had 10% less employees. If the budget goes up and you’re going to lay off people, it’s just really, really absurd.”

Master Sergeant Bob Farquhar (ret.), decorated 24-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, nuclear policy scholar, resident of Bonaire, GA, described a Cold War nuclear program as one area where spending could be reduced or shifted to the benefit of U.S. security. “There’s a B-61 freefall bomb [defense hawks are] wanting to upgrade at a cost of $10 billion, and this was a bomb from the 1960’s. We have roughly 4-500 of them in our inventory, but… why do we need these things anymore? The Cold War is now over for more than 20 years. There’s no rational reason that I can see or that anyone’s been able to provide to me as to why we need to maintain such a large nuclear force. Nuclear weapons are one way that we can save a considerable amount of money.”

Heather Hurlburt, National Security Network Executive director, former White House and State Department speechwriter and policy planning official, detailed the consensus among military and national security leaders that Pentagon spending should be on the table. “The idea that’s being peddled by some members of Congress that we can somehow solve the defense problem separate from the rest of the sequester problem is just not realistic. In fact, our Pentagon leaders know that, and both the current and former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have asked Congress to come up with a comprehensive solution that funds the domestic economy as well as the military going forward.”

 ####
 

Additional Resources:

-            "Sequestration's Impact on Nondefense Jobs and Services," Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education report, 7/25/12

-            “The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending  Priorities: 2011 Update,” Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 12/11

-            "Spending Even Less, Spending Even Smarter: Recommendations for National Security Savings, FY 2013 to FY 2022--Deficit Reduction: $688 Billion," Project on Government Oversight, 5/8/12

-            “"Execs: Sequestration Hype Could Hurt Firms," William Swanson via Defense News, 7/22/12

-            “"We are only as strong as those three pillars – diplomatic, military and economic – can interrelate," Martin Dempsey, 1/12/12

-            “I have said from the beginning that I think defense has to be on the table," Michael Mullen via Defense News, 7/10/11

-            “Sequester was supposed to be … a trigger so irrational that the prospect of it would … drive the leadership to do what was needed, which was to put together an overall budget package for the nation’s finances that could win wide support, ” Ashton Carter via Washington Times, 5/30/12

-            POLLING ROUND-UP: “Hunt the Hawk,” Slate, 8/1/12

Among other things, the resolution states that “the continuing economic crisis is forcing mayors and cities to make ever deeper cuts in critical public services,” and takes note that “in 2011, the United States spent $711 billion on its military, 41% of the world total and twice as much as the next 14 countries combined, including China, Russia, six NATO allies and three major non-NATO allies.”

Stating that “President Obama submitted a plan to Congress in 2010 projecting  investments of well over $185 billion by 2020 to maintain and modernize U.S. nuclear weapons systems, including construction of new nuclear warhead production facilities and an array of new delivery systems, and subsequent annual budgets have provided for funding at this level,” and noting that “cuts to federal programs such as Community Block Development Grants (CDBGs) and the Home Investment Partnership program (HOME) have forced cities, local agencies and non-profits to lay off staff, reduce or eliminate services, delay infrastructure projects and reduce program benefits to low and moderate income families,” the USCM “calls on Congress to terminate funding for modernization of nuclear warheads, delivery systems, and production facilities, to slash spending on nuclear weapons well below Cold War levels, and to redirect those funds to meet the urgent needs of cities.”

The USCM also “calls on its members to raise public awareness about the ongoing dangers and costs of nuclear weapons by organizing public displays of the ‘5000 Member Milestone’ Hiroshima – Nagasaki poster exhibitions in their City Halls, and encourages its members to join Mayors for Peace Executive City Montreal’s ‘Minute of Silence – Moment of Peace’ global initiative by observing a minute of silence at 12 noon on September 21, 2012, the UN International Day of Peace, and posting photos and videos of events in their cities to a dedicated internet platform.” The USCM also “expresses its continuing support for Mayors for Peace.”

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the national association of cities with populations over 30,000. Resolutions adopted at its annual meetings become official USCM policy.

The 18 sponsoring Mayors are: Donald Plusquellic, Akron, Ohio; Matthew Ryan, Binghamton New York; Satyendra Huja, Charlottesville, Virginia; Frank Cownie, Des Moines, Iowa; Kitty Piercy, Eugene, Oregon; William Gluba, Davenport, Iowa; Joy Cooper, Hallandale Beach, Florida; Mark Stodola, Little Rock, Arkansas; Paul Soglin, Madison, Wisconsin; Andre Pierre, North Miami, Florida; Jean Quan, Oakland, California; Jennifer Hosterman, Pleasanton, California; Michael Brennan, Portland, Maine; Gayle McLaughlin, Richmond, California; Ardell Brede, Rochester, Minnesota; Stephen Cassidy, San Leandro, California; Jeffrey Prang, West Hollywood, California; and James Baker, Wilmington, Delaware.

The full text of the resolution is available at: http://www.wslfweb.org/docs/2012USCMres.pdf. The official text is included in a document containing all resolutions adopted at the 2012 USCM annual meeting at: http://www.usmayors.org/80thAnnualMeeting/media/ADOPTEDRESOLUTIONS2012.pdf (the Mayors for Peace resolution is on p. 159).

For more information contact: Jackie Cabasso, North American Coordinator, Mayors for Peace, wslf@earthlink.net. See also: www.mayorsforpeace.org and www.2020visioncampaign.org.

-Courtesy of John Burroughs, Executive Director - Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy

WASHINGTON

“Secretary Clinton has continually stated that it is time for the US to ‘fundamentally change the ways we do business’ with regards to women’s issues,” stated Susan Shaer. “WAND knows that women must be at the table when developing and executing plans for sustainable peace. We look forward to working with Congresswoman Johnson, Congressman Carnahan, Ambassador Verveer, WILPF, and other Congressional and community leaders, to push for funding and legislative efforts that support the implementation of this plan to promote women, peace and security.”

The NAP states that the US will "institutionalize a gender-responsive approach to its diplomatic, development, and defense-related work in conflict affected environments," and will work to increase women's rights and "substantive participation in peace processes, conflict prevention, peacebuilding, transitional processes, and decision making institutions in conflict-affected environments."

“This Roundtable Discussion is a part of my women’s peace initiative A World of Women for World Peace,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Through this initiative, I have worked tirelessly to bring attention to those on the forefront of the peace movement. Whether meeting with international delegations or hosting events on Capitol Hill, such as this one, I hope to bring conflict resolution to our dialogue. The goal for this discussion was to provide a foundation for how my colleagues and I can best support the implementation of the National Action Plan.”

“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, conflict, and humanitarian disaster,” said Congressman Carnahan. “Though we hear about it all too rarely, they have made incredible contributions to ending conflict around the world—like in Liberia, where Muslim and Christian women came together to help end civil war—or in Northern Ireland, where women were essential in initiating the peace process. Today, women in countries around the world, like Sudan, the DRC, Afghanistan, and countries affected by the Arab Spring continue to demand a voice in peace, transition, and governance. These women, and so many more, exemplify why UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security are critical for global security and prosperity. Our roundtable dialogue helped further Congressional commitment to ensure robust implementation of the National Action Plan.”

The NAP is the outcome of a process that began more than a decade ago with the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which encouraged the UN and its member states to integrate a "gender perspective" in all aspects of peace and security. In October 2004, a subsequent Security Council Presidential Statement called on the “development of national action plans” to further implement SCR 1325. To date, 35 countries have approved plans.