Thank you, Joy, for the welcome and we show our respect for the land on which we meet. Thank you, Sharan - you can see why we are so proud that Sharan is our ACTU President.

I would like to add my welcome to that of Sharan's - it is warm and genuine and we thank you for the great distances that many of you have travelled. We welcome you - in sisterhood, in solidarity and in peace.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief presentation of our history and that it gives you some understanding of our country and the city of Melbourne where we meet this week.

In the women's movement we have a saying: "on the shoulders of our sisters", and the fact that Sharan Burrow and I stand here before you today as President and Vice President of the ACTU owes a great deal to the sisters who have gone before us. I would particularly like to acknowledge two today - Pat Giles, the Convenor of the very first ACTU Women's Committee established in 1978 and Jennie George, the first woman elected to the ACTU Executive in 1983 and our first female ACTU President. As Chair of the ICFTU Women's Committee, I also stand on the shoulders of my predecessor, Nancy Riche, who will make a presentation to the conference later this week. During the week we will all have the opportunity to reflect on the contribution of those sisters who have made a difference for women workers and paved the way for the contribution you are making today in your own country.

Sadly, however, not all of those sisters are still with us. As this is the first World Women's Conference in the Asia Pacific region, the Women's Committee felt it was fitting to pay a special tribute to one of those women - Pathma - who, just a few months ago, lost her battle with cancer. Pathma had been the Chairperson of the MTUC Women's Committee and Vice President of Malaysian Trade Union Congress women's committee and Vice-President of MTUC before leaving in 1989 to take up a position with ICFTU-APRO. As Director of the Women's Department, Pathma also had responsibility for youth activities and she held this position for a little over 10 years.

After her death, tributes to Pathma poured in from all over the world - many talked about her tireless efforts and passionate commitment on behalf of women workers. Women leaders throughout the region particularly acknowledged the inspiration and support Pathma had provided to them in taking a more active role in the movement. Kamalam, Elsa, Siham, Mamounata and Carmen said in their tribute to Pathma:

"We know that each of us who had the lovely experience of knowing Pathma will treasure her memory, her zest for life, infectious laughter, kindness and generosity, her funny stories, her singing and laughing, her witty remarks....even her occasional imperious outbursts. And of course, her never-ending passion for the trade union movement, for justice and equality. We can only feel sorry for those whose lives she didn't touch".

Within the Asia Pacific region, Pathma is perhaps best remembered for her "1 + 1 Women's Power" organising campaign, which pioneered a simple but successful method of recruiting women. But within the global unions family we would also like to honour her memory with a lasting tribute and the ICFTU Women's Committee would welcome your suggestions about the best way to do so.

It is now my pleasure to welcome ICFTU General Secretary, Guy Ryder, to address the 8th World Women's Conference.

Guy commenced working as the General Secretary of the ICFTU in January last year, which continues a long and distinguished career in the international labour movement. Indeed, on his appointment to the ICFTU, the Italian unions described him as a man who combines British composure with Latin enthusiasm. Guy's previous positions include those with the British Trade Union Congress; FIET, one of the forerunners of UNI; the ICFTU's Geneva office and the ILO. He has taken on the position of ICFTU Secretary at a most challenging period for unions. His participation at our conference is most timely, given the significant contribution we intend to make in providing encouragement about the direction we would like to see taken by the ICFTU.

So, let us all give Guy Ryder a warm sisterly welcome.