UNITED NATIONS, March 1: Pakistan on Monday called on the world community to move faster and fulfil the commitments made at the Beijing women conference so that gender equality and the empowerment of women goals are realized.

"We shall not end poverty and hunger unless we can ensure the full potential of women participation in the development process ", said Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram, while speaking at the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.

"Over half of mankind is, actually, womankind, yet this majority has been discriminated against worse than any minority. This discrimination affects not only women, but children, families, the entire community, retarding the progress of societies, states and human civilization", he stressed.

Mr Akram said "success in the struggle for women's equality and empowerment are essential for the realization of the United Nations Millennium Declaration's goals." He expressed hope that the international conference on "Gender Mainstreaming and Millennium Development Goals" next month in Islamabad will reinforce this message.

"Three of the eight MDGs are focused on issues that are largely within this Commission's purview: gender equality and mainstreaming, child mortality and maternal health, including ending HIV/AIDS as well as universal primary education. Indeed, the achievement of all the eight MDGs is interlinked and interdependent", he noted.

He observed that the commission on status of women (CSW), therefore, has a major role to play in realizing the aspirations and objectives of the Charter of the United Nations to end wars, promote peace and progress in larger freedom" adding " this wide responsibility is reflected in the commission's mandate to promote women's equality, progress and rights in the political, economic, social and educational fields."

While noting that this is also the year when the world's leaders will gather here in New York, in September, to review the implementation of the millennium declaration, including the MDGs and to observe the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations, Mr Akram said "this session of CSW will, no doubt, help to develop a better understanding of the strategies required to respond to these pervasive challenges through specific plans and time bound actions".

A seven-member Pakistan delegation led by Advisor to the prime minister on women issues, Nelofar Bakhtiar arrived in New York to participate in the CSW session.