CAIRO: We as a country suffer from one major problem, which is alienating women from not only political matters but also everyday ones, said Maged Sorour, the director of One World Foundation for Development and Civil Society Care. Sorour's comments came at the conclusion of a three-day conference on women's political participation. Fifteen participants, representing different political parties and organizations, discussed the need to establish female committees in political parties. The parties represented included the National Democratic Party, Al-Ghad, Tagamou, Al Ahrar and the National Democratic Front. The female secretariats present at the conference agreed to establish a coordinated committee to develop women s role within political parties and improve communication between the female heads of committees is political parties. The committee is expected to have a secretary general - be it a man or a woman - and will hold its first meeting at the beginning of September. Sorour told Daily News Egypt that he will be in charge of the first meeting of the committee to put them on the right track. He will also be in charge of coordinating between members and implementing the recommendations stemming from the meetings. The female members will be focus on their party's political activities and not be limited to women's role. The participants also stressed the importance of not exploiting this power for their own personal interests; that they should work for society's greater good. This conference is the second in a series of events held under the Call for Women Participation project. The Call for Women Participation is estimated to be completed in about nine months and is funded by the United States embassy, said Sorour.
