Upon Mrs Mubarak's initiative, first ladies of the leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement meet for the first time to discuss issues ranging from the global economic crisis to climate change, reports Reem Leila from Sharm El-Sheikh The First Ladies two-day summit of the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) opened on 15 July in Sharm El-Sheikh, on the fringe of the NAM. Attended by heads of state, the conference is discussing issues including women in crisis management, perspectives on current challenges and best practices and lessons learned. The theme is in accordance with NAM's focus on addressing the global challenges which the entire world is currently facing. The First Ladies Summit which is headed by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, head of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, is being conducted for the first time in NAM's history. The role of women in the development of their societies has been highlighted by NAM countries during the past decade. This resulted in covering two ministerial meetings on women's issues and concerns together with the establishment of the NAM Institute for the Empowerment of Women in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister for International Organisations Affairs Naela Gabr says the world is in dire need of more concrete efforts, with action-oriented measures in the advancement of women, achievement of sustained economic growth and sustainable development of our societies. "The NAM First Ladies Summit provides a unique opportunity in the pursuit of such objectives," Gabr says. Gabr points out that the First Ladies Summit aims at assessing the challenges women face today, as it attempts to convey a strong political message through a viable gender perspective from NAM countries on the appropriate means to address these challenges. The summit has constituted a platform for NAM first ladies to identify ways and means through which women can play an effective role in crisis management by "inputs provided through presentations of the major UN agencies including the FAO, WFP, WHO and International Telecommunication Union [ITU] on the current financial, food humanitarian and health crises, focussing on the importance of paying due consideration to the needs of women, especially in NAM countries and to integrate them in the various stages of crisis management," Gabr says. According to the summit's agenda, it has presented various insights on the scope of crises, identifying the best practices and lessons learned at the national, regional and international levels as well as exploring areas of cooperation and coordination among NAM members. The first ladies are also discussing different challenges facing the empowerment of women, and their role in peace building, conflict resolution and natural disasters. They are exploring ways and means of further developing and sharing capacity- building initiatives to meet the needs of women in cooperation with the UN system and civil society. The First Ladies Summit is divided into two substantive sessions where the sub-theme of the working session is on expanding prospects for women in the context of the global economic and food crises -- in other words, transforming challenges into opportunities. Gabr points out that expanding economic opportunities for women is vital to overcome the consequences resulting from the global crisis. "The session is exploring ways and means through which our societies can further harness national and regional initiatives that enhance the role of women in crisis management," Gabr says. In a world facing increased and recurrent humanitarian and health crises, the role of women is essential in effective crisis management and for the well being of their societies. According to the summit's working plan, the second working session is discussing the other sub-theme related to enhancing women's role in addressing global humanitarian and health crises. "The purpose of this session is to exchange experiences and lessons learned from the participation of women in various phases of management in humanitarian and health crises with special emphasis on integrating a gender perspective into all crisis management related activities," Gabr says. Presentations have been made by the heads of WHO and ITU on the global humanitarian and health crises.
