,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #gfb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #bf 7legislative day1 ,october #ai71 #bjbj,mr4 ,booker 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,murray7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing the disproportionate impact of ,,covid-#ai on women and girls globally4 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai crisis exacerbates existing vulnerabilities for women and girls and has an outsized effect on health1 safety1 and livelihoods for marginalized communities2 ,whereas it is estimated that the disruption of sexual and reproductive health care services and supply chains caused by the ,,covid-#ai crisis caused an estimated #di1jjj1jjj women to stop using contraceptives between ,april and ,october #bjbj1 likely resulting in approximately #g1jjj1jjj unintended pregnancies1 #a1gjj1jjj major obstetric complications1 #bh1jjj maternal deaths1 #afh1jjj newborn deaths1 and #c1cjj1jjj unsafe abortions2 ,whereas lockdowns1 quarantines1 and other movement restrictions related to ,,covid-#ai have disrupted access to legal and social services1 as well as access to counseling1 safe shelters1 and medical treatment1 exacerbating vulnerabilities for women and girls2 ,whereas gender-based violence such as domestic violence1 child marriage1 and female genital mutilation has increased1 and is expected to continue to increase1 as a result of the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 including-- 7#a7 an estimated #ca1jjj1jjj more gender-based violence cases between ,april and ,october #bjbj2 7#b7 an additional #ac1jjj1jjj child marriages by #bjcj2 and 7#c7 an increase of approximately #b1jjj1jjj cases of female genital mutilation between #bjbj and #bjcj2 ,whereas women play significant roles in the health care workforce1 comprising #gj percent of health care workers globally1 yet often are not prioritized for the receipt of personal protective equipment1 disproportionately exposing them to contracting ,,covid-#ai2 ,whereas women and girls perform #c times the amount of unpaid care work in homes and in their communities as men1 a burden that has increased during the ,,covid-#ai crisis as women and girls are disproportionately responsible for caring for sick and elderly family and community members and children who are out of school1 limiting the ability of women and girls to perform income-generating work1 pursue education or skills building1 or avoid exposure to ,,covid-#ai2 ,whereas1 globally1 women living in poverty will endure specific economic effects as a result of the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 largely due to the overrepresentation of those women in the informal economy1 the increase in their unpaid care burdens1 and the particular hardships facing female entrepreneurs1 such as-- 7#a7 loss of jobs or pressure to turn to exploitative work1 as women workers dominate in industries most affected by layoffs caused by the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 including hospitality1 childcare1 and tourism1 and comprise #ib percent of individuals in the informal sector1 which lacks social and legal protections in most countries2 7#b7 loss of business1 as market closures1 disruptions in global trading1 and the collapse of supply chains have disproportionate effects on female-led businesses and female farmers1 and enduring gaps in financial inclusion will have significant ramifications as women entrepreneurs continue to be considered high risk for bank services1 formal loans1 and credit2 7#c7 financial insecurity1 as women have much lower1 if any1 pensions1 retirement savings1 or other assets to mitigate shocks as compared to men2 and 7#d7 loss of necessary income that female-headed households depend on1 such as remittances1 which the ,world ,bank expects will decrease by nearly #bj percent in #bjbj2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai crisis will uniquely affect women in agriculture1 who provide more than #dc percent of the agricultural labor around the world and more than #fj percent of such labor in ,africa yet whose ability to harvest1 sell1 and buy food and other products necessary for their food security and nutrition will worsen due to travel restrictions related to the crisis1 ongoing discrimination in access to agricultural inputs and markets1 and wage gaps and disproportionate unpaid care burdens for female farmers2 ,whereas food insecurity will have unique effects on the nutrition and health of women and girls1 who already comprise #fj percent of individuals experiencing hunger in the world1 often rely on getting at least #a nutritious meal each day from feeding programs at schools that may be shut down due to the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 and face shortages in nutritious food and nutrients given social norms that dictate that women and girls eat last and least when food is scarce2 ,whereas girls1 particularly adolescent girls1 will be especially affected by the closures of schools resulting from the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 and it estimated that1 as of ,march #bjbj1 nearly #gdc1jjj1jjj girls1 not including the approximately #acb1jjj1jjj girls who were already out of school before the onset of the crisis1 are out of school due to such closures2 ,whereas closures of schools due to the ,,covid-#ai crisis will decrease the ability of girls to access education and skills building1 increase the exposure of girls to gender-based violence1 such as child marriage1 exacerbate the vulnerability of girls to early pregnancy and childbirth-related complications1 and impede access of girls to information about the prevention of ,,covid-#ai1 protection services1 and pathways to report abuse2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai crisis will place particular burdens on women and girls in humanitarian emergencies given challenges including overcrowded conditions1 restrictions on travel and movement1 already strained health1 hygiene1 and sanitation infrastructure1 food shortages and malnutrition1 already heightened exposure to gender-based violence1 systematic and targeted attacks on health infrastructure and aid workers by parties to conflicts1 politicization of aid and service delivery1 and restricted humanitarian access1 all of which exacerbates the spread and effect of infectious diseases2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,office on ,drugs and ,crime 7,,unodc71 the ,international ,organization for ,migration 7,,iom71 and the ,department of ,state have expressed concern about an increase in human trafficking and smuggling as traffickers take advantage of increased vulnerabilities and chaos during the ,,covid-#ai crisis2 ,whereas the diversion of resources and services away from existing primary health care needs to address the ,,covid-#ai crisis and contain the spread of ,,covid-#ai will have particular effects on women and girls1 including disruptions in the provision of life-saving health services unrelated to ,,covid-#ai1 such as maternal health care and sexual and reproductive health services1 and the loss of critical services and support to respond to gender-based violence2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai ,global ,humanitarian ,response ,plan coordinated by the ,united ,nations is only #ag percent funded1 leaving significant gaps in the response to immediate health and non-health needs of women and girls and other vulnerable populations1 and ongoing humanitarian response plans1 identified as a top priority by the ,united ,nations given that people targeted in those plans will be the most affected by the direct and indirect effects of the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 remain only #ag4c percent funded2 ,whereas estimates show that1 globally1 women are included in only #bd percent of national response plans for the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 and women and girls have been largely excluded from leadership and decision making related to responses to the crisis1 resulting in response measures that may not fully account for how ,,covid-#ai affects women and girls2 and ,whereas humanitarian exemptions to sanctions and counterterrorism measures are vital for ensuring states and principled humanitarian actors are able to reach vulnerable women and girls with efficient1 needs-based assistance1 including ,,covid-#ai response activities consistent with obligations under international humanitarian law1 regardless of the location of those women and girls3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 reaffirms the critical importance of gender balance and inclusivity in bodies responsible for coordination and decision making related to the ,,covid-#ai crisis1 including in structures and task forces of the ,united ,states ,government charged with developing policies and responses to the crisis2 7#b7 promotes integrating a gender lens throughout the response to the ,,covid-#ai crisis by analyzing and tracking the effect of and response to the crisis on gender1 including gathering evidence from data that is disaggregated by gender1 age1 and other specific variables2 7#c7 supports measures to ensure that life-saving health services including sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence prevention and response are well resourced and supported1 including within the ,,covid-#ai ,global ,humanitarian ,response ,plan coordinated by the ,united ,nations1 and that funding earmarked for those services is not reduced1 canceled1 or diverted to other ,,covid-#ai response activities2 7#d7 supports measures to ensure the continuation of adequate food and nutrition security for women and girls around the world affected by ,,covid-#ai1 including women smallholder farmers and other women working in agriculture1 in light of the unique challenges described in the preamble of this resolution2 7#e7 reinforces the need to ensure that short-term relief programming and longer-term economic strategies address the specific effects of ,,covid-#ai on women globally1 especially lower income1 migrant1 displaced1 and other marginalized women2 7#f7 urges the executive branch to uphold the rights of crisis-affected and forcibly displaced populations1 including women and girls1 further affected by ,,covid-#ai1 by promoting compliance with international humanitarian and human rights legal obligations and engaging parties to conflicts to ensure unhindered access to health care1 medical supplies1 and other vital aid and protection2 7#g7 supports robust funding contributions by the ,united ,states for the international response to the ,,covid-#ai crisis in addition to further funding for ongoing humanitarian appeals in support of vulnerable women and girls affected by ,,covid-#ai and underlying emergencies2 and 7#h7 commits to continuously assess and eliminate any impediment to the delivery of and access to humanitarian assistance4