,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #djig ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #cj1 #bjai,mr4 ,keating 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,ms4 ,frankel1 and ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to require a report on the participation of ,afghan women in negotiations and dialogue relating to the ,afghan peace process and a strategy for post-conflict engagement by the ,united ,states in ,afghanistan1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,afghan ,women's ,inclusion in ,negotiations ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security ,act of #bjag was signed into law on ,october #f1 #bjag1 requiring the ,united ,states ,government to promote the meaningful participation of women in all aspects of overseas conflict prevention1 management1 and resolution1 and postconflict relief and recovery efforts4 7#b7 ,the meaningful participation of women in peace negotiations has been shown to make resulting peace agreements #ce percent more likely to last1 according to the ,international ,peace ,institute1 and their sustained engagement and leadership 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 regions4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,states ,national ,security ,strategy states1 governments that fail to treat women equally do not allow their societies to reach their potential and societies that empower women to participate fully in civic and economic life are more prosperous and peaceful4 7#d7 ,today1 millions of ,afghan women have voted in elections and women have a significant presence in the ,national ,assembly1 ministries1 local government1 and the diplomatic corps including as ,afghanistan's ,ambassador to the ,united ,states4 7#e7 ,according to the ,united ,states ,institute of ,peace1 more than #fh1jjj ,afghan women are employed in schools and universities1 and at least #aj1jjj women are doctors and health care professionals4 7#f7 ,afghan women entrepreneurs have invested an estimated #gg million in their businesses1 creating #gg1jjj jobs for ,afghans4 7#g7 ,in #bjae1 ,afghanistan approved a ,national ,action ,plan on ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security to increase women's participation in peace processes and the security sector as well as address issues around protection and relief and recovery services4 7#h7 ,in #bjah1 ,afghanistan reaffirmed its ,law to ,eliminate ,violence ,against ,women4 7#i7 ,afghan women have advocated relentlessly for peace1 equality1 and basic rights under the ,taliban1 including by educating the next generation of ,afghans in underground schools and successfully negotiating with the ,taliban to reopen girls' schools1 release hostages1 and prevent violence4 7#aj7 ,afghan women participated in the #bjja ,bonn ,international ,conference on ,afghanistan1 participated alongside then-,president ,karzai at the #bjaj ,national ,consultative ,peace ,jirga on reconciliation between the ,afghan government and insurgent leaders1 served on the country's ,provincial ,peace ,councils1 and today serve on ,afghanistan's ,high ,peace ,council4 7#aa7 ,through various coalitions1 women have mobilized to demand an immediate ceasefire and their rightful seat at the table including through rallies and consultations with communities across all of ,afghanistan's provinces1 including a ,peace ,consultative ,loya ,jirga which brought together politicians1 tribal elders1 and other prominent leaders to decide on a common approach for peace talks with the ,taliban4 7#ab7 ,over the first seven rounds of bilateral talks between the ,united ,states and the ,taliban1 neither the ,afghan ,government nor ,afghan women or civil society groups were permitted to participate in the negotiations4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 corresponding with the ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security ,act of #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-fh7 and the ,u4,s4 ,strategy on ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security1 the ,united ,states has a commitment to promoting the meaningful participation of women throughout the ,afghan peace process2 7#b7 representatives of ,afghan women1 youth1 and other marginalized groups from rural and urban provinces and especially from those most affected by violence1 should meaningfully participate and engage in all peace talks1 implementation commissions1 and other bodies if an agreement is reached1 alongside the ,government of ,afghanistan1 the ,afghan political opposition1 and the ,taliban1 and that their security must be protected throughout and their concerns prioritized in those respective agendas2 7#c7 training and gender expertise should be made available to the ,united ,states mediators of the peace talks and all participating delegations1 including one or more gender advisors with expertise in structuring inclusive peace process and conflict mediation1 and who have local language skills and mediation expertise to establish a safe communication channel for engagement with and training of a diverse range of ,afghan women's groups2 7#d7 financial1 technical1 and logistical support1 including security precautions for their protection1 should be provided to women delegates to the talks1 mediators1 peace builders1 and stakeholders1 enabling them to travel safely to and from the location of the peace talks and to meaningfully participate2 and 7#e7 a component of any international aid package that is awarded to ,afghanistan as part of the peace process should be directed to programming focused on gender equality and women's empowerment1 including for efforts to ensure that implementation of the peace agreement is shaped by gender analysis1 and that funds are made available as grants for local ,afghan women-led and women's empowerment organizations as well as for education and necessary services for women and girls4 #d4 ,report 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate not later than #cj days after the conclusion of each round of negotiations relating to the ,afghan peace process an unclassified report1 which may contain a classified annex1 relating to the peace process4 7b7 ,matters ,to be included ,the report required by subsection 7a7 shall include information1 in accordance with the requirements of the ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security ,act of #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-fh71 on-- 7#a7 the participation of ,afghan women and the protection of their rights and gains2 7#b7 the actions of the ,department of ,state and other relevant ,federal departments and agencies to advance the priorities described in section #c1 including ,united ,states efforts to consult with and train local women-led civil society organizations and to advocate for their inclusion and participation in national1 provincial1 and community-level peacebuilding1 conflict prevention1 and post-conflict reconciliation4 #e4 ,strategy for post-conflict engagement by the ,united ,states in ,afghanistan 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development and other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate not later than #abj days after a final ,afghan ,reconciliation ,agreement is reached1 a strategy for post-conflict engagement by the ,united ,states in ,afghanistan to support the implementation of commitments for women and girls' inclusion and empowerment in the ,agreement1 as well as to protect and promote basic human rights in ,afghanistan1 especially the human rights of women and girls4 7b7 ,required elements ,the ,secretary of ,state shall seek to ensure that activities carried out under the strategy-- 7#a7 employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies1 including ex-post evaluation1 and gender analysis as defined by the ,women's ,entrepreneurship and ,economic ,empowerment ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-dbh7 and required by the ,u4,s4 ,strategy on ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security2 7#b7 disaggregate all data collected and reported by age1 gender1 marital and motherhood status1 disability1 and urbanity1 to the extent practicable and appropriate2 and 7#c7 adhere to the ,policy ,guidance on ,promoting ,gender ,equality of the ,department of ,state and the ,gender ,equality and ,female ,empowerment ,policy of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4