Tuesday, May 10 2005 10:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Putrajaya, Malaysia: India today (May 10, 2005) said it is imperative to step up measures for advancement of women in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries, especially in the context of increasing globalisation, stressing it can be achieved by making women equal partners in democracy and decision-making.

Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh, acknowledged that though women over the years had moved from being "mere recipients of welfare measures" to becoming important, active partners in the development process "a lot more" still needed to be done especially in the present context of increasing globalisation.

Singh's speech was read out today in his absence by Secretary Women and Child Welfare Department R Nair at the Non-Aligned Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women, which began at Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia yesterday (May 9, 2005).

The theme of the two-day meeting is "Empowering Women in facing the challenges of Globalisation."

"We must work in a united way towards eliminating the roots of poverty and violence. We must not forget that the real enemy is economic exploitation," according to Singh.

More than 75 Ministers from NAM countries are taking part in the conference.

He noted that politically, women were under-represented in the decision-making apparatus and in the governance structures in most of the NAM countries.

"The empowerment of women, in its fullest manifestation, I believe can come about only when women are made co-equal partners in democracy and decision making," he said.

The gathering, mostly women Ministers attired in their colourful national costumes, heard with rapt attention that India had more than a million elected women participating in decision making and day developmental activities at the grass root level, at the rural and urban local bodies.

"Increased networking and formation of confederations of elected women's representatives at the State and regional levels has boosted their confidence, leadership skills and decision making abilities," the Minister said.

Singh said that any debate on globalisation should necessarily address the concerns and considerations of women who not merely constituted half the world's population but were two-thirds of the world's workers.

"Let us seriously introspect as to how we can facilitate more innovative policies and programmes to empower women in the context of globalisation," he said.

He added that despite many constraints, India had taken up women's welfare as an essential component of all development process.

He noted that economic empowerment of women and emphasis on gender justice, were high on India's development agenda as outlined in its Common Minimum Programme (CMP).