MINISTERS TO COME OUT WITH DRAFT DECLARATION FOR FIRST LADIES SUMMIT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Ministers attending the pre-summit meeting
of the First Ladies Summit here today will come out with a draft declaration,
says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul
Jalil.

Speaking to reporters, Shahrizat said the draft declaration to be deliberated
and agreed to by the ministers, would then be submitted to the First Ladies for
consideration and adoption.

"I think the draft declaration will be ready Monday night. On Tuesday, we
will hand it to the First Ladies through Rosmah Mansor (the prime minister's
wife) for consideration and if they agree, it will be adopted," she said after
attending the pre-summit meeting at the Palace of the Golden Horses, Seri
Kembangan, near here, Monday.

Twenty ministers are attending the meeting while 15 First Ladies have
confirmed their participation in the summit themed, "A Child Today, A Leader
Tomorrow". The two-day First Ladies Summit 2010 begins Tuesday.

Initiated and hosted by Rosmah, the summit will focus on ways in which
families, communities and governments can work together to uncover the potential
in every child.


Shahrizat said among the issues discussed today were related to child
empowerment in order to develop them into positive, responsible and disciplined
individuals in the future.

They also discussed about leadership in the future and the values that
needed to be developed in children.

"We also focused on the risk factors...that's important...they (children) go
through conflicts in their lives....in this world. If the situation is
okay...it's not a problem."

On whether the declaration, if agreed and adopted by the First Ladies, would
be taken to the United Nations, Shahrizat said:

"We will submit a copy of the declaration to UN and send a note too...and
we will take it up from there. The ministers will monitor the process," she
said.


Describing the response at today's meeting as good, Shahrizat said the
meeting was held in a form called "world cafe", in three sessions focusing on
three aspects of child development.

The ministers concerned shared their respective countries's best practices,
laws and regulations as well as policies related to the issues being discussed.

On the suggestion that some of the matters in the draft might not apply to
certain countries due to the different situation in their countries, Shahrizat
said that was not a problem.

"When we talk about children, the issues are always the same all over the
world...(and) when we talk about the risk factors...they are all the same," she
said.

The minister also said that 15 children would take part in the summit on
Wednesday.

-- BERNAMA



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