Luanda - The Angolan Government is engaged in policies for promotion of gender and combat of violence against women, said Tuesday the minister of Social Welfare, João Baptista Kussumua.

Delivering his speech  at the opening of the First Conference on Women and Domestic Violence, the minister said that the gender integration into country's policies have assumed increasing importance.

According to him, this initiative has clear objectives guided by the strategy of combat poverty in the medium and long term.

He said that while pursuing the millennium goals, the country has been working hard in order to meet the Programme Angola 2025, related to national and international obligations.

For the Angolan State this dynamic implies efforts focussed on policies that enable women to benefit from the results on an equal footing with man materialising the constitutional principle of equal treatment.

The minister also alluded to the regional, continental and international commitments aimed at increasing the number of women in decision making posts.

For Angola, apart from the law, the gender issue induces a development issue once these factors weaken, significantly, the productive potential of women, as a development factor, said João Baptista Kussumua.