International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr participated in a discussion round on the role of women in the global economy on the sidelines of the World Bank meetings in Washington.

The round was attended by former First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) David Lipton, former chair of the US President's Council of Economic Advisers Laura Tyson and Oxfam Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.

Nasr stressed that the participation of women in the society boosts economic growth, noting that empowering women is vital to achieve comprehensive and sustainable growth, a statement issued by the International Cooperation Ministry said.

Women empowerment and gender equality are more than a social justice case as they are a pre-condition for realizing speedy-paced sustainable development, she said.

The role of women in Egypt has been boosted in the last years with their large participation in the recent parliamentary elections and the presence of 89 female lawmakers in the House of Representative, an unprecedented event in the history of the Egyptian parliament, she said.

The representation of women in the incumbent Egyptian government is bigger than the previous ones with presence of four female ministers, she added.

The present Egyptian constitution gives unprecedented constitutional rights to women, she noted.

The Egyptian government is strongly committed to forming solid partnerships with the private sector, civil society and development partners to amass the capital needed to hone the skills, create job opportunities and curtail the poverty of women, she added. 

Source : MENA