The Second Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) First Ladies Summit kicked off Sunday at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

The summit is held under Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.

Being held under the theme "Food Security and Women's Access to Resources", Mrs Mubarak, during the opening session of the summit, discussed means to improve women's access to productive resources in order to reduce hunger.

As many as 27 First Ladies, heads of delegations, NAM ambassadors along with agriculture experts are attending the summit.

Mrs Mubarak voiced appreciation of the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) and it's Director-General Jacques Diouf.

She also welcomed former Ghana's President John Kufuor who is attending the summit, and further said that all the participants are very well aware of the importance of the food security issue, as it is a pillar to achieve security and stability in the world.

According to FAO estimates, more than 1 billion people worldwide suffer malnourishment, Mrs Mubarak said, adding that this is an unprecedented figure in human history, and urged the international community to provide all necessary food aid to face the increasing demands and disasters that humans might face in the coming years.

Rural women play an important role in increasing agriculture production, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak told the opening session of the NAM First Ladies Summit.

Statistics often do not reflect the true contribution of women to agriculture.

She pressed for dealing with domestic problems, empowering rural women and boosting women's role in the decision-making process. "It is important to train women efficiently to raise awareness about the relation between health and nutrition," Mrs Mubarak said.

In an international joint press conference held with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf following the conclusion of the summit chaired by Mrs. Mubarak, she pinpointed that women issues are common denominator listed on the agenda of international meetings.

For her part, Tunisia's First Lady and Chairwoman of the current session of the Arab Women Organization Leila bin Ali expressed deep appreciation of Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak for her call for holding the First Ladies summit of the Non-Alignment Movement and considering the food security issue as one of the top priorities.