The first to speak on the topic was Mahnaz Afkhami, a women's rights activists. According to Afkhami, it's difficult to get the idea across that the concept of development and progress hinges on cultural change and that cultural change involves a change in the relation of women to each other and to other members of society.

She adds: ``We have worked hard over the years to achieve a consensus, that unless women are admitted to an equal, participatory partnership in the affairs of domestic and international society, we will not be able to achieve the goals of fairness, justice, and development that humanity seeks.''

In a passionate plea, Afkhami asks the womenfolk to break the silence and become partners in the design of the future and changingcultures. ``We mean to say that culture is dynamic, changing with time and circumstance, and that women represent a new time and a different circumstance,'' she sums up.

Taking off from Afkhami's conclusions, Lourdes Arizpe, director of research, World Cultural Report, Unesco, says that earlier societies created balanced spheres of competition and cooperation by socially defining the roles of men and women. But, in the modernised world, where borders of such spheres have disappeared, there must be a rethink on the fundamental balance between competition and cooperation, says Arizpe. States Arizpe: ``We need a bi-gendered perspective on culture and development and a gendered strategy for action. Just as we need a powered vision of development with an empowering strategy for action.''

Going on to an interesting debate about values surrounding working women and how they impact development, Arizpe takes up the Unesco World Culture Report. According to this report, 74 per cent of the respondents in allregions agreed with the statement that both men and women should contribute to household income, and only 35 per cent thought that scarce jobs should be reserved for men.

The survey report takes a turn when 69 per cent endorsed the statement that preschool children are likely to suffer if mothers are in paid employment. Also surprising was the revelation that around 64 per cent agreed that all women want from life is a home and children, and that 59 per cent thought that being a housewife was just as fulfilling as working for pay.

But, says Arizpe, that given the importance of values and principles in policy discourse, it is surprising that there is a lack of conclusive empirical research in these areas. Particularly, the gender analysis on values in the public opinion surveys was often inconclusive.

From old values to new ones, Arizpe asks some vital questions. ``What happens to gender when it goes through the new technologies hardware?' Are women really not interested in technology?'' Says Arizpethat social practices everywhere show that they are interested in communication. ``The main point is that women be active agents in experimenting with the new technologies so that they can fully contribute to the interpreting of this new form of communication and to applying it to closing the gaps that lead to exclusions.''

The third and the last speaker on gender and development was Dianne Dillon - Ridgley, representative, Women's Environment and Development Organisation. Speaking on cooperation and competition once again, she says: ``Sometimes when people wonder why is it that women seem so willing to focus on aspects of cooperation rather than competition, perhaps it is because we had very little to do with putting those institutions of power in place.''

Finally, she states clearly that if development discriminates against women and children, it will not be sustainable. The same way as if it displaces human labour and capital with an over-reliance on machines, it will tend to destroy the naturalenvironment and will not be sustainable over time.