Minister of Social Protection, Family and Child Galina Balmos, will participate on May 20 in the works of the regional consultative meeting of the CIS countries for problems of gender equality and human rights in national development strategies and budget planning, which will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Meeting will precede the works of the 2008 International Summit in Hague and continues the discussions held, between May 8 and 10 in Chisinau, by regional experts of CIS, who made an analysis of the practices of their countries in promoting the gender principle in the national development processes. The meeting agenda includes five sessions within which the participants will debate the implementation of gender principles in national development strategies, realities, prospects and problems of the gender equality, as well as the signing of a declaration and collaboration strategy for supporting the gender principle. At the meeting, Balmos will deliver a speech on gender equality in Moldova in the context of a potential collaboration with foreign donors in this field. The event will be also attended by Benita Ferrero Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy; Noeleen Heyzer Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women, , as well as representatives of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan.