Turkish family minister holds talks in Burkina Faso

Mehmet Yilmaz Guldas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's family, labor and social services minister visited Burkina Faso on an official visit on Monday.

Visiting the country on the occasion of the 7th Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in the Development of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in capital Ouagadougou, Zehra Zumrut Selcuk held several high-level meetings along with her delegation.

At the conference, Selcuk handed the conference's term presidency to Burkina Faso, saying Turkey is a model country to the world and the Islamic region with its efforts to improve the status of women, according to a statement by the Family Ministry.

"Family has become the foundation of a society. Schooling rates of women and girls [in Turkey] have improved significantly. We can proudly say that 97 percent of women receive prenatal care and give birth in hospitals.

"Infant mortality rates have also decreased by 24 percent in the last five years," she added.

Selcuk also pointed to the humanitarian tragedy in Palestine, stressing that the oppression and discrimination against Palestinians and Palestinian women must be voiced nationally and globally at every opportunity.

She added that the Ally for Future Leadership Program for Young Women was launched during Turkey's presidency at the OIC Women Advisory Council.

Chair of the OIC Women Advisory Council Esra Albayrak, for her part, said with the program, 55 young women from 45 countries took part in a lifelong solidarity network aiming to improve women's leadership skills.

Albayrak said, "I believe this program will contribute to the development of a stronger generation of Muslim women."

"In addition to other projects organized by the conference, I would like to underline the Refugee Development Center project designed for migrant women. This will initially be launched in Turkey and then be implemented in other countries that host a large number of refugees," she said.

After the conference, Selcuk and Albayrak were received by Burkino Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and his wife. During the meeting, experiences between the two countries were exchanged and cooperation opportunities were discussed.

The Turkish delegation also met Helene Marie Laurence Ilboudo, minister of women, family and national solidarity.

Concluding the visit, Selcuk held a bilateral meeting with the OIC Secretary-General Yusuf bin Ahmed al-Useymin.

She also held talks with delegations from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Lebanon, Mali, Pakistan and Yemen.

Selcuk and Albayrak also participated in an aid program organized by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) at Medina Imam Hatip International Girls' School.