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“Excluding
women is too high a cost to bear in the current globalisation
era,” Abdullah told NAM ministers. (Reuters)
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PUTRAJAYA,
May 9, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Malaysia is
currently playing host to a two-day ministerial conference of
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries on the advancement of women, amid
calls for more gender justice.
“Excluding
women is too high a cost to bear in the current globalization era,”
Malaysian Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told the opening session,
reported Bernama news agency.
Badawi,
who holds the current presidency of NAM and the Organization of
Islamic Conference (OIC), said the quest for gender equality and
justice would undoubtedly be one of the hallmarks of the 21st century.
“It
compels us to become more competitive, dynamic and innovative.”
A
total of 84 NAM countries are attending the meeting, themed
“Empowering Women in Facing the Challenges of Globalization.”
The
114-nation grouping of mainly developing nations, formed during the
Cold War as an alternative to the Western and Eastern power blocs, has
turned its attention to social issues as it struggles to maintain
relevance in the modern world.
Challenges
Abdullah
regretted that in many parts of the world there had been instances
where certain groups in society, which oppose the empowerment of women
for their own narrow purposes, had used religion and cultural norms as
a justification to perpetuate discrimination against women.
“I
find it most lamentable, that although women are certainly no minority
in terms of numbers, they cannot be said to have gained the status
that they are entitled to, in terms of rights, equality and
justice,” he added.
The
Malaysian premier said that Islam Hadhari, which he espouses, also
works for the protection of the rights of the minorities and women.
Malaysian
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz told
Bernama on Friday, April 29, that the Malaysian experiment on women
advancement is a role
model that should be followed by other world countries.
The
government announced late last year that it wanted to see women taking
up 30% of decision-making positions in the public sector by 2015.
Abdullah
said the recent rise of geo-political instabilities and regional
conflicts had been particularly devastating to women and children.
“The
world economy continually presents many challenges to the empowerment
of women and the achievement of gender justice and equity,” he
added.
“The
expansion of global markets primarily focus on economic, and not
social gains. Furthermore, the fruits of globalization are often
tilted in favour of the powerful and wealthy and not enough to the
poor and impoverished,” said Abdullah.
He
stressed that NAM was dismayed by the state of millions of women and
children around the world who live in unacceptable conditions due to
poverty, poor health as well as wars and armed conflicts.
HIV/Aids
pandemic was threatening to wipe out decades of investments in
education and human development while many women and children had been
raped, tortured, maimed and subjected to other unspeakable crimes in
war-torn and armed conflict countries, he said.
“NAM
condemns in strongest terms the use of rape as a deliberate weapon in
warfare,” stressed the Malaysian premier.
He
said the outcome of this meeting would have a direct impact on the
hopes and aspirations of half of the population of NAM member states,
the majority of whom need support and assistance to remedy the
imbalances and injustices existing in the economic and social spheres.
Practical
Programs
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NAM
delegates listen to speech during the opening session. (Reuters)
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Abdullah
maintained that the rapidly changing and highly competitive
international scenario requires NAM members to make necessary
adjustments, including specific and practical programmes to further
promote the advancement of women.
He
added that NAM members, thus, should identify specific and feasible
projects that enhanced the empowerment of women at national, regional
and international levels.
Abdullah
said NAM needs to prove to the world that differences in culture,
religion and belief did not deter the development process or hinder
women's advancement.
“Instead,
the heterogeneity of NAM, with all its attributes of diversity, is a
source of strength and not a cause for division among members,” said
the Malaysian premier.
Malaysia
has, in this respect, proposed the establishment of a NAM Center on
Gender and Development dedicated to enhancing women's empowerment
through a lifelong learning approach.
Abdullah
said the center would be equipped with facilities that provide a wide
range of capacity-building programs, including training and research.
He
noted that the Malaysian government would initiate the funding for
developing the center.
Expressing
hopes that NAM member states will give full support to this proposal,
Abdullah said the center would work closely with policymakers,
scholars, gender studies and research centers, training and academic
institutions, civil society organizations and other interest groups.
Eight-point
Declaration
Delegates
were also enthusiastic about the Putrajaya Declaration, an extensive
eight-point blueprint on empowering women in facing globalization that
will be issued at the end of the meeting on Tuesday, May 9.
It
was finalised after a drafting committee, specially set up by the
senior officials, managed to reach a consensus on matters pertaining
to the document, after more than 10 hours of deliberation.
The
eight-point declaration touches on poverty and economic development,
power and decision making, education, health, ICT, armed conflict,
violence against women and gender mainstreaming.
It
is expected to be strongly mandated as 56 out of the more than 80
countries participating in the meeting will be represented by
ministers.
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