Women in frontline of war against poverty: Annan

The greatest weapon in the war against poverty is the empowerment of women and the education of girls, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said.

In a keynote address to the International Women's Health Coalition Annual Gala in New York, Mr Annan said that when it comes to solving global problems, he believed in "girl power".

The Secretary General said that "study after study" has proved that helping women and girls raises economic productivity, lowers infant and maternal mortality and improves health.

"When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier; they are better fed; their income, savings and investment go up," he said.

"And what is true of families is true of communities and, eventually, whole countries."

However, women and girls "suffer disproportionately" from the world's ills, particularly in terms of HIV/Aids.

"It is a shocking fact - and one of which I, as an African man, feel ashamed - that a girl in sub-Saharan Africa is six times more likely to be infected than a boy," he said.

Mr Annan added that increasing availability of education to young children was key to improving conditions for the world's poor.

(gmcg)