YOUR country needs you, is the message that went out to women from Bahrain's First Lady yesterday.
Women hold the keys, alongside men, to the country's development, said Her Highness Shaikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty King Hamad and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women (SWC).
She was speaking at the opening of the two-day Gender Mainstreaming in Development conference, at the Gulf Hotel's Gulf International Convention Centre.
The conference, organised by the SCW under His Majesty's patronage, aims to draw up a national plan to empower Bahraini women.
It has brought together 211 participants from government ministries, parliament, the Shura Council, civil societies, the private sector, media, religious scholars and youth societies.
The conference is being attended by representatives from the Arab Woman's Organisation, Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organisations, United Nations Development Programme, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Development Fund for Women, Islamic Development Bank, Al Hariri Organisation from Lebanon, the UAE General Women's Union and the National Council for Women in Egypt.
"Empowering Bahraini women and making them equal to men makes Bahrain a true model in respecting the Sharia-compliant principles and the need to develop by balancing the society," said Shaikha Sabeeka.
She said the conference demonstrated the country's interest in finding ways to bring women into the development process and to achieve comprehensive human development.
"The SCW is meeting its national responsibility in establishing a base for this initiative, by providing all the support to create a building and implementation system," said Shaikha Sabeeka.
"This will allow certain bodies in the country, especially parliament and Shura Council, to work towards meeting women's needs in legislation, systems, programmes and work plans."
She said that the SCW called upon the government and the Economic Development Board to draw up a clear national plan, which will guarantee a successful transformation for Bahrain. "I hope that this conference will lead us to a just co-operation that will begin to preserve and provide rights and stability to women and children, in addition to their continuous role in supporting men," said Shaikha Sabeeka.
Gulf Daily News, By Rasha Al Gahtani
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