This legislation establishes the Esther Coopersmith Award at the Department of State, an annual recognition for individuals or groups within the Civil or Foreign Service. The award honors diplomats who have made significant contributions to advancing sustainable peace and security, specifically through efforts aligned with the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018. It seeks to highlight the critical role of women's participation in preventing, mitigating, and resolving conflict, violence, or instability. Recipients will be recognized for promoting women's leadership in areas such as integrating women's perspectives into conflict prevention activities, encouraging partner governments to improve women's participation in peace and security processes, and promoting the physical safety and economic security of women and girls. Other recognized efforts include supporting equal access for women to aid distribution and enhancing foreign capacity for data collection to develop early warning systems for conflict. The Secretary of State, through the Office of Global Women's Issues, will administer the award and support recipients' official travel to major global security conferences. Awardees and honorable mentions are also required to present their work virtually to the Chiefs of Mission Conference and entry-level Foreign Service officer training courses, sharing their expertise. The Act mandates a report to Congress detailing the recipients' efforts, outcomes, and lessons learned within 90 days of selection. This legislation, including a minor amendment to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to include the rights of women and girls, is set to cease effect five years after its enactment.
This legislation establishes the Esther Coopersmith Award at the Department of State, an annual recognition for individuals or groups within the Civil or Foreign Service. The award honors diplomats who have made significant contributions to advancing sustainable peace and security, specifically through efforts aligned with the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 and the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018. It seeks to highlight the critical role of women's participation in preventing, mitigating, and resolving conflict, violence, or instability. Recipients will be recognized for promoting women's leadership in areas such as integrating women's perspectives into conflict prevention activities, encouraging partner governments to improve women's participation in peace and security processes, and promoting the physical safety and economic security of women and girls. Other recognized efforts include supporting equal access for women to aid distribution and enhancing foreign capacity for data collection to develop early warning systems for conflict. The Secretary of State, through the Office of Global Women's Issues, will administer the award and support recipients' official travel to major global security conferences. Awardees and honorable mentions are also required to present their work virtually to the Chiefs of Mission Conference and entry-level Foreign Service officer training courses, sharing their expertise. The Act mandates a report to Congress detailing the recipients' efforts, outcomes, and lessons learned within 90 days of selection. This legislation, including a minor amendment to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to include the rights of women and girls, is set to cease effect five years after its enactment.