The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, is participating in the Second Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in the Development of the OIC Member States, which will conclude its two-day deliberations in Cairo later today. During the opening session of the Conference, Professor Ihsanoglu delivered a speech that shed light on the efforts of the OIC to empower women and the OIC vision to bolster women's role in compliance with the political commitments as well as obligations endorsed by the leaders of the Member States at the Extraordinary Makkah Summit held in December 2005. The Conference, held under the title 'From Political Will to Joint Action', is discuss several issues related to the vision of the OIC Member States to advance the status of women, eradicate poverty, and boost sustainable development in a bid to achieve gender equality and ensure women's participation in decision-making, according to a press release of the OIC issued in Jeddah. Participants are also examining the best ways and means to secure equal opportunities for women through the provision of quality education and proper health care, the elimination of all forms of discrimination, including violence, against women. --MORE
