Kathmandu, June 2: The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare organised a press meet here yesterday with a view to providing information about the report to be presented at the UN convention on “Women 2000, Gender equality, development and peace” to be organised in New York from June 5 to 8 to take stock of achievements made as per the plan of action passed at the fourth conference on women, obstacles and future challenges.

On the occasion, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Mrs Kamala Pant spoke of the need to work more though there have been positive results in areas of women’s gender equality and women’s empowerment. The report has laid stress on the need to increase investment in women’s education, training, health and other areas in order to bring women into the development mainstream she added.

According to a press release circulated on the occasion, after the Beijing Conference, there has been an increase in women’s participation in parliament and local bodies, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, and the Human Rights Commission have been constituted, the process for forming the national women’s commission has got underway and there have been encouraging progress in the health sector. Despite all this, women in various parts of the country continue to suffer from domestic violence and have to face discriminations in other forms.