A conference ahead of Saturday's International Women's Day has drawn more than 50 women heads of state, ministers, business leaders and heads of international organisations to Brussels.
The EU's Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the organiser, said she had invited 27 women foreign ministers from across the world but that "unfortunately very few" came.
The official conference title was "Women: stabilizing an insecure world". Ferrero-Waldner said: "Our focus today is not only on women as victims. Women also display the most extraordinary strengths and resilience in conflict and crisis. They hold the social fabric together when other ties fray, and have a particular talent as peace-builders."
'Equality is being able to get where you want in life' -- a Spanish television advertising slogan -- is emblematic of the European Union's intent to defend women's rights. Gender equality has been a key principle of the EU since 1957. Yet Information Society and Media Comissionner Viviane Reding had this to say about today's status quo:
"I believe every day is a women's day, and as long as we have to celebrate a women's day, it means that we do not have equality, the goal is to have equality so we do not need special days."
Fewer years in work and lower pay for women in Europe, like the rest of the world, means they run a greater risk of poverty. In the echelons of power, throughout the world women fill only 17 percent of the parliament seats and are outnumbered three to one by men in government.
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