Senate Appropriations Committee Reaffirms Commitment To International Women’s Empowerment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced today that the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which she serves, has approved funding for a number of initiatives that would empower women across the globe. The funding was directed as part of the Fiscal Year 2016 State, Foreign Operations & Related Programs Appropriations bill which must now be considered by the full Senate.

At Senator Collins’ request, the bill includes $1.7 billion for gender programs and combatting gender-based violence. This funding supports Department of State and USAID efforts to promote gender equality as a component of their democracy and development work. For the fourth year in a row, the bill also includes $50 million to promote women’s political leadership including participation in political parties, elections, and leadership positions in local and national governments.

“Too many women and girls around the world are subjected to gender-based violence and discrimination,” said Senator Collins. “We must continue to prioritize our effort to ensure that our mothers, daughters, and sisters across the globe are not only protected from horrific acts of violence and discrimination, but are empowered to reach their full potential as citizens of the world.”

In April, Senator Collins joined a bipartisan group of women Senators in urging the United States and the international community to do more to protect and empower Syrian women and girls, who have been disproportionally impacted by the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Senator Collins is the lead Republican cosponsor of the International Violence Against Women Act and in March, teamed up with a bipartisan coalition of Senators to introduce a resolution to recognize March 8, 2015 as International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD commemorates the achievements of women around the world by celebrating the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present and future while also recognizing the obstacles women continue to face in the struggle for equal rights and opportunities.