Ministers from the 116-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing nations have committed themselves to improving the conditions for women in their countries.

A declaration adopted at the end of a two-day conference here said "equal participation of women in decision making is needed to strengthen democracy and promote quality growth".

The document noted that "women and children are the majority casualties of war but women's participation in the peace and security and decision-making process is very low".

While education was a powerful tool for achieving gender equality, millions of girls did not have access to schooling, the ministers said, calling for "guaranteed free and universal education for all for the development of our societies and advancement of women and girls".

Internationally, the "continued marginalisation of the developing countries from the benefits of globalisation have a particularly adverse impact on women".

Programmes should be put in place to "improve women's productive capacity including accessability to technology-related knowledge and skills," said the declaration.

Unequal access

Women in many parts of the world had unequal access to primary health services, the declaration said, calling for "the formulation of appropriate policies for women, particularly those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS".

Sex education in schools was an effective way of preventing women from contracting HIV, along with moves to "address gender power relations", the ministers said.

Malaysia's women's minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil told a news conference that the ministers had agreed to meet on women's issues every two years.

"We have to follow through our action plan. We need to look at the progress of the declaration," she said.

The 116-nation grouping of mainly developing nations, formed during the Cold War as an alternative to the Western and Eastern power blocs, has turned its attention to social issues as it struggles to maintain relevance in the modern world.