Organisation makes case for empowerment of Arab women

Tunis- Tunisia (PANA) -- The Arab Women Organisation (AWO) has said that in spite of the progress made by Arab women, much still need to be done to ensure that they take their ri ghtful place in the society.
This was the conclusion reached after a three-day congress of the organisation h ere on Saturday.
The congress, held under the theme ''Arab women, partner essential for sustainab le development'', discussed the barriers to the participation of Arab women in boosting the process of sustainab le development.
Participants said the empowerment of women is an essential condition for strengt hening the foundation of sustainable development in Arab countries, and that the state has ''a pivotal ro le'' to play in promoting the status of women in partnership with the civil society and the private sector.
Among the recommendations from the AWO congress, chaired by the First Lady of Tu nisia Leila Ben Ali, is the call on Arab countries to take into account the needs of women in strategies , budgets and development programmes.
To ensure the realisation of the objectives, AWO said it is imperative to conduc t legislative reforms in a bid to preserve the rights of women in public and private life, and to promote their ro le as economic, social and political partner.
In her closing speech, the First Lady assured that AWO "will work to convert the policies and ideas presented at this conference into operational plans likely to promote the status of Arab wome n and enrich their achievements''.