Seminar to focus on women's achievements

Manama: A regional conference on the successes of Arab women in the legal, economic and political fields will be held in Bahrain from March 26 to 28.

The conference, under the banner 'Successes of Women as Leaders of Change', will be held under the auspices of the Supreme Council for Women, the official institution in charge of elevating the status of women in Bahrain.

Women participants from 16 Arab countries will examine experiences in the region that reflect the achievements and successes of women.

"These include the role of women in families and society, women's contribution to the economic sector and women's political participation," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative, the conference co-organisers, said.

"The ... gathering aims, through open discussions and exchange of views, to increase cooperation and promote joint efforts in order to develop the role of women and women's contributions in the Arab world."

Bahrain has been spearheading a regional drive to promote the social, economic and political status of women through a series of national programmes that highlight the competence of women and the significance of their active involvement in the nation-building process.

The Supreme Council for Women and women's rights activists are in the middle of a campaign to promulgate the family law that would offer better legal protection to mothers and wives.