OIC 4Th Ministerial Level Conference Issues Jakarta Declaration

Jakarta, Dec 6 (ANTARA) - The fourth ministerial-level conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ended here on Thursday with a Jakarta Declaration. The declaration highlights the women`s role in the economic field in the OIC member countries and fulfillment of their basic rights. "Measures to be taken are advancing women`s economic capacity by increasing their access to productive sources such as land, capital, loans and credits, science and technology," Indonesia`s state minister for empowerment of women and protection of children, Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, said. She said the efforts would be achieved through programs aimed at developing women`s financial literacy The declaration was agreed by 200 delegations from 42 member countries attending the conference on December 4-6. Linda said OIC member countries also supported job creation in the micro-, small and medium businesses for women. She said the declaration also mandated improvement of women`s capacity and skills to make them able to compete in the employment market through policies aimed at improving their access to education including quality, vocational and effective education. "To overcome segregation between men and women in the work field and social life programs will be carried out to improve curriculum that are gender-sensitive at all education levels and concrete actions would be taken to assure that the education contents meet them," she said. She said to achieve the goals the declaration has also encouraged the OIC member countries to continue discussing existing women issues and increasing their intensity through cooperation among OIC members both in the form of a joint initiative and under a global context. Member countries had signed a document from the OIC Woman Development Organization to make the organization able to function immediately and contribute to discussion of women issues in the OIC including Indonesia. "All stakeholders, from public to private sectors, academics, non-governmental organizations, foundations and philanthropies are taking part in promoting gender equality and empowerment of women including through cooperation with governments," she said. Indonesia`s coordinating minister for people`s welfare Agung Laksono meanwhile said Indonesia is ready to cooperate for the implementation of the agreements that have been made in the conference including supporting women with regard to capital in view of their role in the development of micro, small and medium businesses in the country.