Tehran will host the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)'s third ministerial conference starting Sunday. Egypt hosted the second ministerial conference in November 2008. The conference was inaugurated by Egypt's First Lady and was titled "The Role of Women in the Development of Member States of the OIC." The conference adopted an action plan to enhance the status of women. The plan seeks to improve conditions for women, to create partnerships between men and women, and to encourage the role of NGOs and the private sector in this area. The plan is based on the recommendations of the first conference, held in Istanbul in 2006, "The Role of Women in Developing States of the IOC." The objective is to clear obstacles facing women in their societies and to eradicate all forms of discrimination against women. The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers held in Sana in 2005 called for ministerial meetings to discuss women's issues and develop women's participation in society. As a result, a series of meetings have been held, first in Turkey, then in Egypt and now in Iran.
