German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for gender equality in a prerecorded speech to the close session of 2006 Global Women Summit here on Monday, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Merkel, whose country will host the 2007 Global Women Summit, said in her speech that equality between men and women was pivotal to achieve the main targets set in the United Nations' Millennium Goals in 2000, namely: to keep peace, preserve human rights and achieve a sustainable development.

The first woman chancellor in German history stressed that education was a key element to gender equality, echoing the World Bank that investing in female education worldwide would profit sustainable development and fight against poverty.

Citing UN statistics, Merkel said that women account for two thirds of the world's working hours but their share of the world's income was only 10 percent.

Egypt's First Lady Susan Mubarak was granted the Global Women's Leadership Award in recognition of her work in promoting women's education and economic self-sufficiency as well as her peace initiative.

This year's International Entrepreneur Award was shared by Artemis Toumazi, president of the Women's Cooperative Bank of Cyprus, and Myrna Yao, chair of the Philippine National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women.

The three-day summit got together some 900 leading women in business, government and professions from 88 countries and regions.

Egypt was the first Arab country to hold the annual summit since its first meeting in Canada's Montreal in 1990.

Source: Xinhua