Apec women applaud call for social ethics

By Audrey Young

A call for the "elite" women leaders of Apec countries to develop an ethical framework for the disadvantaged in Apec won applause from the same "elite" yesterday.

Canada's Secretary of State, Hedy Fry, was speaking at the Apec women leaders conference in Wellington on a ministers panel chaired by the Prime Minister, Jenny Shipley.

"We must counterbalance the tendency for the trade liberalisation to focus solely on the marketplace forces by developing an ethical framework that considers also the well-being of people," Dr Fry said.

Trafficking in women and children had to be eliminated.

Ethics had to be instilled into Apec, she said, to round applause.

Dr Fry congratulated Mrs Shipley for the conference.

"Here in New Zealand we have a woman Prime Minister who has taken the initiative and run with it. The old girls' network has begun.

"We must ask ourselves, what are our challenges and what are our opportunities?"

Dr Fry said the challenge of women leaders was to ensure that positive aspects of trade liberalisation became a reality "and that the negative risks of exploitation of the disadvantaged people do not occur."

The conference, which ends today, is attended by more than 350 women in business, education and politics from 21 Apec economies.