Now a Indo-US bilateral agenda on women's issues

US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer, who is on a visit to India, Friday said she would discuss a "bilateral agenda" on issues concerning women during her stay here.

Talking to reporters at the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) in the capital, Verveer, whose position was created by the Barack Obama administration this year, said women's issues were of primary global concern and every effort needs to be made on behalf of the government and the civil society to address them.

"While I am here I will be discussing a bilateral agenda on addressing some key concerns related to women with Indian leaders. The target could be 100 percent literacy rate for women, reducing gender gap or increasing micro credit initiatives for women," Verveer said.

"I will also have a special meeting with the Indian women and child development minister, may meet the foreign secretary and visit various NGO initiative sites like that of one working on the issue of women trafficking," she added.

Verveer was in Mumbai for three days before coming to Delhi.

"I will participate in the World Economic Forum on Sunday," she said.

While in Mumbai, Verveer said she launched a campaign with various Bollywood celebrities and business honchos to stop child trafficking.

"I am very happy to be back in India. I had come here in 1995 with the then first lady Hillary Clinton. Every time I am here I get to learn something new. The micro credit system that the women in Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) here has nurtured is inspiring," she said.

Stressing that the Obama administration was concerned about women's issues worldwide, Verveer said: "The Obama administration has been focussing on decreasing maternal mortality and the sheer fact that my position was created reflects the elevated importance of these issues to the administration."

"The administration has also created a counsel for addressing women's and girls issues and they sit at the White House," she added.

Last updated on Nov 6^th, 2009 at 19:49 pm IST--IANS