Bandar Seri Begawan - In line with the teachings and aspiration of Islam to uplift the status of women, the effort undertaken by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is relevant in strengthening the role of women in promoting and enhancing the development and participation of women in the development of Ummah including in the field of economy.

As an Islamic state, Brunei Darussalam welcomed the continuous efforts undertaken by OIC towards achieving such aspiration. In this context, various efforts made by the Sultanate to enhance the status of women whereby women in the Sultanate have made progress in many fields. The steps are in line with the OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW).

This was said by the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Datin Paduka Hjh Adina binti Othman at the 4th OIC Ministerial Conference on the role of women in development for OIC countries which was held from December 4-6 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

She added, being a small population and that close to halt of the population is women, Brunei Darussalam realised the importance to use and develop all human resources to achieve growth and sustainable development.

This is because the involvement of women in the country's development is crucial not only in the human rights and social justice but also to initiate towards the socio-economic development of the nation.

Hence, a special committee on women issues that was established had been approved by the national action plan on women and family institution. Among the issues included in the action plan were legal, policy, economy, education, health and work-life harmony.

Some 172 participants attended the conference from 43 OIC countries. Though OPAAW has been agreed upon at the 2nd OIC meeting in 2008, for Brunei Darussalam, several advancements and developments have been achieved by women in the Sultanate be it in education, health, employment, participation in decision-making process and protection in any sorts of abuse and domestic violence.

In education, the deputy minister said, the Mandatory Education Order 2007 required all children to go to school and the Mandatory Religious Education Order which requires children to attend religious school will take effect in January next year In the tertiary education, more female students enrolled than male and according to Global Gender Gap report 2012, Brunei has been ranked 11th globally in the participation of women in tertiary education. In employment, there has been an increase in the number of women with the ratio of 62 female to 78 male. Brunei Darussalam has been placed in the 35th position in terms of the involvement of women in law, management and holding of senior positions.

The Brunei delegation also includes the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Awg Hj Mohd Rozan bin Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin