3,000 delegates attend KL women summit

KUALA LUMPUR — More than 3,000 delegates from close to 150 countries have gathered here for the 3rd Women Deliver 2013 to address health and other issues facing women.

Re-elected Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Princess Marie of Denmark and Princess Mabel of the Netherlands attended yesterday’s opening ceremony.

The conference will end on May 30.

In his speech, Najib said he is looking forward to building a “holistic social support system” for girls and women in Malaysia.

“These are policies and not merely add on. They are essential precursors to a genuinely sustainable economic growth,” he said.

Najib boasted that Malaysian girls are more likely to finish college than their male classmates. But he admitted that women remain “under-represented in Malaysia’s political discourse.”

“With our re-election come new and increased commitment to empower women and girls as we drive our nation forward to development. Every girl and woman in Malaysia, regardless of religion, political affiliation, social status or occasions, deserve safe, health and prosperous life. Our national and global stability depend on this,” he said.

Malaysia was among the countries commended for becoming a “regional leader” on maternal health. It managed to reduce maternal mortality rates by more than 45 percent over the past two decades.

The other nations that made progress for girls and women are Ethiopia where access to family planning had been expanded; Kenya, which adopted a new Constitution that allows its women to own and inherit land and share control of family resources; Nepal for toppling the practice of child marriage; Bangladesh for empowering new mothers; and Uruguay for ensuring women’s reproductive health and rights.

According to Jill Sheffield, founder and president of Women Deliver, girls are “too often left out of the picture” despite the fact that they are “tomorrow’s women.”

“Safe, healthy, educated girls grow into strong women to transform the world. They participate in politics, service doctors, lawyers, they gather water, they prepare our dinner, they have healthier family and make our economic ways more secure. It’s true, when you invest in girls and women, it is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” Sheffield added.

Women Deliver is an international advocacy organization that convenes global leaders on maternal health and women empowerment.

Jeni Klugman, World Bank director for Gender and Development, said there have been gains obtained with gender equality over the past decades “but there is still much more to do, particularly on maternal health.

“The last quarter century has seen unprecedented and accelerated narrowing of gender gaps in education, health and in labor. Indeed, women are more empowered in economics, political and social aspects that can influence policy choices and make institutions more representative,” she added.

Klugman maintained there is a “significant gap in pay and earnings and productivity around the world” and in many homes, women, especially the poor ones, have “less say and control over decisions than men do.”’

Records showed that since 1990, progress has been achieved for girls and women by reducing maternal deaths and cases of new HIV infection among women.

But challenges remain because “progress is uneven across regions and countries.”