Waldheim calls illiteracy a key problem for women

United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, opening a UN special conference on women, said Monday that illiteracy is one of the worst problems faced by the world's women. Two out of every 3 persons in the world who cannot read or write are women, he stated.

The two-week meeting, being attended by about 1,500 women from 140 states, will cover such topics as the effect of apartheid on South African women and a worldwide review of women refugees.