Female heads of states, ministers, and heads of international organizations, business leaders, and civil society activists have discussed the twin themes of security and women's empowerment.

This international conference for women political leaders builds on recent initiatives including the meeting hosted by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last September in New York and the International Women Leaders Global Security Summit last November, hosted by the Council of Women World leaders where Commission vice-president Margot Wallstrom is chairing the Council Ministerial Initiative.

We believe the key to a stable world is sustainable development. It is about stabilizing an insecure world and finding the right combination of economic growth and social progress, while at the same time caring for our planet.

Without education you cannot have social stability. Yet there are currently about 100 million children not getting any education at all - and more than 70 million are girls. That we have to change.

Another important instrument to stabilize the world is the UN Resolution 1325 on women's role in peace building and security that links gender equality to global security and acknowledges the importance of women's voices in building lasting peace.

This resolution is a milestone on the road to more gender-sensitive peace processes and security policies. Though the implementation of the resolution is a long-term political process it must receive more attention throughout the European Union and in the various member states, in particular among decision makers in the fields of foreign, defense, security and development policy.

Since the adoption of the resolution in 2000 awareness of the importance of including women in peace and reconstruction process has grown. Yet implementation of its mandate remains sporadic and ad hoc.