Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), leading a bipartisan coalition of Senators, introduced a resolution recognizing today, March 8, 2017, as International Women’s Day and commemorating the achievements of women around the world. The International Women’s Day resolution celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women while recognizing the obstacles women continue to face in the struggle for equal rights and opportunities. The resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA) Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Patty Murray (D-WA).

“Women have blazed trails and broken barriers in every field of endeavor,” said Senator Collins. “International Women's Day celebrates the countless important social, economic, cultural, and political contributions that women are making in the United States and around the world. This resolution recognizes those achievements and reaffirms our enduring commitment to work toward a world that guarantees basic human rights and empowers women to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to take stock of the incredible achievements of women around the world and the work that still needs to be done,” said Senator Shaheen. “Women and girls make up 51 percent of the population, yet they are consistently underrepresented in government, economically disenfranchised, and faced with tremendous social barriers. I will continue to advocate for foreign policies that protect women and girls’ rights and fight efforts by the Trump Administration to roll back progress we have made. Mobilizing the previously untapped talents of millions of women and girls has the power to transform the global economy, our national security and, ultimately, the world.”

In support of the goals of International Women’s Day, the resolution affirms the advancement of women as a foreign policy priority for the United States. It also recognizes that women's realization of their full potential through education and economic empowerment is critical to a nation’s ability to achieve strong and lasting economic growth, as well as political and social stability. Specifically, the bipartisan resolution highlights the underrepresentation of women in most aspects of public life, the denial of basic human rights for women in many countries, and the threat of violence and abuse that too many women around the world continue to face.