WILPF/PeaceWomen themes covered:
General Women, Peace and Security: 0/3;
Conflict Prevention: 0/3;
Disarmament: 0/3;
Displacement and Humanitarian Response: 0/3;
Participation: 0/3;
Peace Processes: 0/3;
Peacekeeping: 0/3;
Protection: 1/3;
Reconstruction and Peacebuilding: 0/3;
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: 0/3;
Implementation: 1/3;
Justice, Rule of Law, SSR: 0/3;
Human Rights: 0/3.
S/PV.6705: "As we approach justice and the rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations, we must place special emphasis on the protection of women and children, as well as of other vulnerable groups. That includes persons targeted for violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity."
The United States used its veto right 0 times out of 2 vetoed draft resolutions in 2012.
Civil Society Engagement | Financial:
The United States will commit nearly $44 million to a set of initiatives designed to empower women. The largest portion, about $17 million, will support civil society groups that focus on women in Afghanistan.
$14 million will also go to nongovernmental organisations working to make clean water more available in conflict zones, because women and girls are at higher risk of being attacked when collecting water.
Financial | UN Engagement:
$1.7 million will help fund UN activities, including Special Representative Wallstrom’s office, and $11 million will help expand literacy, job training, and maternal health services for refugee women and girls.
Policy:
Develop our own National Action Plan with determined funding to accelerate the implementation of Resolution 1325 across our government and with our partners in civil society. But as several have already said: Action plans and funding are only steps toward a larger goal.
**Note: The latest WPS commitments have been made in 2010.
Profit from Arms Transfer: $9,163,000,000
_________________________________
UN Women Government Total Contribution: $8,400,000
The United States receives 35% due to the high difference between the Arms Transfer Revenue and UN Women Total Contribution.
Arms Transfer Revenue in 2011: $9,104,000,000
_________________________________
UN Women Government Total Contribution in 2011: $6,000,000
In addition, the United States contributed to the following Women, Peace and Security initiatives:
The USAID’s planned spending included over $100 million of programming aligned with the core objectives of the NAP in more than 30 countries. In addition, USAID established a $5 million WPS Incentive Fund designed to catalyse NAP implementation in priority countries and support learning that can be applied to future programming. Under the first round of awards, the fund supported programming in Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Libya, and the Middle East and North Africa region. These programmes were selected for their potential to strengthen prospects for peace and security through the increased empowerment, participation, and protection of women and girls;
Launched the $2.6 million Global Women’s Leadership Fund (GWLF) programme to support the participation of women in critical decision-making processes such as peace negotiations, political transition dialogues, and donor conferences;
USAID provided more than $8.5 million for targeted protection activities inside Syria, including services for survivors of gender-based violence; recreational and learning activities for girls and boys; case management and referral services for highly vulnerable children; and broad-reaching, basic psychosocial support to as many affected persons as possible.
HDI (Human Development Index):
The United States was ranked 3rd.
The United States is included in the "Very High Human Development" category.
By 2012 women’s involvement in housework fell to around 140 minutes a day, and men’s had risen to over 80 minutes.
International HR Documents:
"International Stadnards," OHCHR
Status of Ratifications:
"Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General: Status of Treaties," United Nations Treaty Collection
"Status of Ratifications: Interactive Dashboard," OHCHR
"ATT: Status of ratifications and accessions," amazonaws.com
Women from the United States are on duty in the following peacekeeping missions:
MINUSTAH (14),
MONUSCO (2),
UNMIL (0),
UNMISS (1),
UNTSO (1).
Peacekeepers from the United States were involved in 0 out of 60 allegations against civilian, military, police and other peacekeeping personnel in 2012.
S/PV.6789: "Peacekeepers and all field mission staff must be held to the highest standard of conduct and discipline, particularly with regard to the sexual exploitation and abuse of vulnerable populations. We must not, and will not, tolerate any such abuse by peacekeeping personnel of the very populations they are charged with protecting."
Governmental support for women's civil society:
- Engagement in joint government/NGO efforts: Yes
- Funding provided by the government: Yes
The United States receives 65% because:
Even though the government is engaged in collabouration with women's civil society, it does not provide adequate financial support to women's organisations, the number of projects and conferences on the Women, Peace and Security agenda in existence is low, civil society space for rights-focused activists (i.e.: racial equality and women's reproductive health-focused activisim and advoacy) is incresingly limited, and mass-surveillance - in accordance with national security and anti-terrorisim efforts - restricts civil society freedoms (i.e.: freedom of the press, freedom of public association).
Key women's organisation's (National Organisation for Women) efforts in regard to gender issues include the following:
- Number of conferences: 1 national annual conference, with 500 local and campus affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia hosting numerous conferences and events per year;
- Social services provided: advocacy for reproductive rights and justice, economic justice, ending violence against women, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and constitutional equality, training and education, lobbying and policymaking.
Types of social support provided:
Education: Yes
Anti-violence: Yes
Women's empowerment: Yes
Gender-related training: Yes
Political participation: Yes
Anti-human trafficking: No
Women's health: Yes
Lobbying and policymaking: Yes
Fundraising: Yes
Approximately 1.44 million nonprofits were registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2012. The nonprofit sector contributed an estimated $887.3 billion to the US economy in 2012, composing 5.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The USA hosted the following high-level events in 2012:
- Symposium: Theory and Praxis in Reducing Women's Poverty;
- Women Leaders Promoting Peace and Security Consultation with African Representatives from the International Visitors Leadership Program;
- U.S. Department of State Consultation with the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace & Security;
- Discussion of the U.S. Efforts to Advance Women’s Rights Abroad;
- National NOW Conference.
**Note: The information about the high-level events has been collected using available media sources.
Blackwood, Amy S., Kathy L. Roeger, Sarah L. Pettijon. "The Nonprofit Sector in Brief: Public Charities, Giving and Volunteering, 2012," Urban Institute
"Issues," National Ogranization for Women
"Events," U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women Peace and Security
Benfer, Emily A., Davida Finger, Annette Appell. "Symposium: Theory and Praxis in Reducing Women's Poverty," Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law
"Women Leaders Promoting Peace and Security Consultation with African Representatives from the International Visitors Leadership Program," U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women Peace and Security
"U.S. Department of State Consultation with the U.S. Civil Society Working Group on Women, Peace & Security," U.S. Civil Society Working Group
"Past Events - Discussion of the U.S. Efforts to Advance Women’s Rights Abroad," Women in International Security
"2012 National NOW Conference -Energize! Organize! Stop the War on Women," National Organization for Women
“State of Civil Society Report: 2013,” CIVICUS
Department of Defense Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2012-2017:
- "Goal 1: Ensure Leadership Commitment to an Accountable and Sustained Diversity Effort Develop structures and strategies to equip leadership with the ability to manage diversity, be accountable, and engender an inclusive work environment that cultivates innovation and optimisation within the Department."
- "Goal 3: Sustainability. Federal agencies shall develop structures and strategies to equip leaders with the ability to manage diversity, be accountable, measure results, re- fine approaches on the basis of such data, and engender a culture of inclusion."
Department of Defense Military Leadership Diversity Commission: "The Services should provide diversity leadership education and training, distinct from traditional forms of general diversity training, to service members at every level."
Pepper, Annalee. "Gender Training for the Security Sector: Lessons identi!ed and practical resources," DCAF
"Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2012-2017," Department of Defense
"Assessment of the Armed Services Implementation of the Recommendations Issued by the Commission," Military Leadership Diversity Commission
"From Representation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for 21st Century Military," Military Leadership Diversity Commission
The US NAP gives five objectives:
National Integration and Institutionalisation;
Participation in Peace Processes and Decision-Making;
Protection from Violence;
Conflict Prevention;
Access to Relief and Recovery.
The NAP contains no allocated or estimated budget. Instead, each responsible department is required to resource the actions within existing budgets. The primary implementation agencies (Department of State, Defense and USAID) are required to submit fully resourced individual implementation plans.
The US NAP is unique in setting a timeline for the three main departments in charge of implementation - Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID – to develop their own departmental implementation plans. In August 2012 both State and USAID launched their organisational action plans. Moreover, the NAP mentions that the Interagency Policy Committee dedicated to Women, Peace and Security (WPS IPC) will later develop specific indicators for the purpose of monitoring implementation. Thus, the US NAP comes across as relatively unspecific because it delegates issues to the future.
Military Expenditure: $684,780,000,000
________________________________
The NAP contains no allocated or estimated budget.
Military Expenditure in 2011 $711,338,000,000
____
The NAP contains no allocated or estimated budget. Instead, each responsible department is required to resource the actions within existing budgets. The primary implementation agencies (Department of State, Defense and USAID) are required to submit fully resourced individual implementation plans.
Women made up 16.9% of Parliament in the United States of America in 2012.
Lower: 16.8%;
Upper: 17.0%.
27% of ministerial positions were held by women in the United States of America in 2012.
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.38.
26.4% of law enforcement positions were held by women in the United States of America in 2012.
Total law enforcement officers: 956,322.
27.1% of judges in the United States of America were women in 2012.
United States Supreme Court:
3 women out of 9 seats (33.3%).
Circuit Court of Appeals:
51 women out of 165 active seats (30.9%).
Federal Court Judges in the U.S.:
451 women out of 1,874 seats (24.1%).
Women's labour participation rate was 68%.
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.85
Unemployment rate (percentage of female/male labour force):
Female: 9%;
Male: 11%.
Estimated earned income (PPP US$):
Female: 37,376;
Male: 40,000;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.93
Legislators, senior officials, and managers (%):
Female: 43, Male: 57;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 0.74
Professional and technical workers (%):
Female: 55, Male: 45;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1.20
Enrolment in primary education (95%);
Enrolment in secondary education (90%);
Enrolment in tertiary education (100%).
The enrolment difference between males and females is provided below (The theoretical maximum value is 100%. Increasing trends are considered a reflection of improving coverage at the specified level of education):
Literacy rate (%):
Female: 99;
Male: 99;
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1
Enrolment in primary education:
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1
Enrolment in secondary education:
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1.02
Enrolment in tertiary education:
Ratio (0 = Inequality, 1 = Equality): 1.41
Legal Framework of the United States includes:
Equal Pay Act, 1963;
Civil Rights Act, 1964;
The affirmative action policy of 1965 was expanded in 1967 to cover women as well as racial minorities;
Roe v. Wade, 1973;
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
Sex-segregated job advertisements were declared illegal by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1968), upheld by the Supreme Court in 1973;
Title IX of the Education Amendment, 1972;
1986, in the decision of Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, sexual harassment was established as illegal and discriminatory;
The Family Medical Leave Act, 1993;
Violence Against Women Act, 1994;
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, 2009.
Presence a non-discrimination by sex clause in the constitution of the United States of America:
- The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. (Amendment XIX).
The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women.
First-ever U.S. Strategy on Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence Globally and an accompanying Executive Order to enhance the Administration’s longstanding efforts to address gender-based violence (GBV) through its foreign policy, diplomatic, and programming efforts were implemented by the United States of America.
Imbornoni, Ann-Marie. "Timeline of key events in the American women's rights movement 1980-present," Pearson Education, Inc.
"Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database," UN Women
"Constitutional Provisions on Women's Equality," Library of Congress
"Federal Domestic Violence Laws," The Unite States Attorney's Office
"The Equal Pay Act of 1963," U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
"Fact Sheet: Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment," The White House
While legal frameworks exist, they are not always fully effective, and discrimination (i.e.: gender, racial, and economic discrimination) can cause some groups to have disproportionate challenges equally accessing justice and utilising their rights.
Legal Framework of the United States:
Equal Pay Act, 1963;
Civil Rights Act, 1964;
The affirmative action policy of 1965 was expanded in 1967 to cover women as well as racial minorities;
Roe v. Wade, 1973;
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
Sex-segregated job advertisements were declared illegal by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1968), upheld by the Supreme Court in 1973;
Title IX of the Education Amendment, 1972;
1986, in the decision of Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, sexual harassment was established as illegal and discriminatory;
The Family Medical Leave Act, 1993;
Violence Against Women Act, 1994;
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, 2009.
Presence of gender perspective in the constitution of the United States of America:
- The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. (Amendment XIX).
The U.S. government fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Federal law enforcement prosecuted cases resulting in convictions of sex and labour trafficking offenders; demonstrated increased legal sophistication in the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of traffickers; and strengthened federal coordination efforts to improve identification of cases at the federal level.
While specialised services to support victims/survivors of sexual violence exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective.
Number of women's shelters: 64,324 (data based on point-in-time census data via the National Network to End Domestic Violence).
While veterans services for women veterans exist, the quality of service, outreach to engage female veterans in service access and utalisation, and the availability of gender-sensitive services at all locations are not fully effective.
While specialised services to support victims/survivors of sexual violence exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective.
While specialised services to support victims/survivors of human trafficking exist, the service quality, resource provision, geographic availability, adequate service availability based on national demand, and the functionality of national mechanism are not fully effective.
There is a shelter crisis for trafficking victims in the United States. The Home Foundation estimates that there are less than 100 beds nationally for an estimated 100,000 annually identified trafficking victims. Placing trafficking victims in existing homeless or domestic violence shelters is not an adequate solution due to the unique needs of this population.
While a wide range of services and resources are made available to refugees, asylum seekers, and IDPs, these services are usually provided by local service providers, therefore making these services and resources less available in some geographic locations.
A total of 58,179 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees during 2012.
According to US Homeland Security, 26,799 (46.1%) female refugees were admitted into the United States.
"Refugee Resettlement in the United States," US Department of State
"Refugee Resettlement In The United States," US Department of State
"Home," Office of Refugee Resettlement
"UNHCR Global Trends 2012," UNHCR
"Can the Risk Be Reduced?," UNHCR
Martin, Daniel, James Y. Yankay. "Refugees and Asylees: 2013," Department of Homeland Security
WILPF/PeaceWomen themes covered:
General Women, Peace and Security: 4/15;
Conflict Prevention: 3/15;
Disarmament: 0/15;
Displacement and Humanitarian Response: 1/15;
Participation: 5/15;
Peace Processes: 2/15;
Peacekeeping: 3/15;
Protection: 4/15;
Reconstruction and Peacebuilding: 0/15;
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: 4/15;
Implementation: 0/15;
Justice, Rule of Law, SSR: 3/15;
Human Rights: 1/15.
S/PV.6948: "Women’s civil society organisations need greater capacity to monitor, inform and provide security services in conjunction with law enforcement authorities."