Malaysian students in Poland have been urged to safeguard the image of their country at all times and return to contribute to nation-building and development efforts.

In urging this, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Karim said Malaysians abroad, especially students and diasporas, must show a high level of patriotism and refrain from tarnishing the country's image.

"Wherever we are, we are Malaysian citizens and we need to show our love for the country. We must also show a high level of patriotism," she said during a recent breaking of fast reception in Warsaw hosted by Malaysian ambassador to Poland, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.

She stressed that Malaysian students overseas must become useful human capital in Malaysia's transformation into a high-income economy when they returned.

According to a statement from the Malaysian embassy, Rohani was in the Polish capital to lead the Malaysian delegation at the 2016 Global Summit of Women from June 9 to 11 which saw the participation of over 1,000 participants from 74 countries.

Malaysia hosted the summit in 2013, followed by Paris and Sao Paulo in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

At the Warsaw gathering, Rohani highlighted Malaysia's achievement in improving women's participation in the labour force and continued efforts to promote a diverse and inclusive working environment through the Life At Work Award introduced in 2013.

On the sidelines of the summit, Rohani met with, among others, Poland's Family, Labour and Social Policy Minister Elzbieta Rafalska, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State Abdykalikova Gulshara and other heads of delegation.

"Among the common issues discussed during the bilateral meetings were strategies to improve fertility rate, programmes to assist older persons and strategies in improving women's participation in labour force," the statement said.

Rohani also attended a session at the Royal Palace hosted by Poland's first lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who is the honorary patron of the summit.

- Bernama