Implementation of strategic objectives and action in the critical areas of concern: poverty (agenda item 3 (c) (i)) 2. At the 5th meeting, on 13 March, the Commission held a panel discussion on the sub-item and heard presentations by the following experts: Aruna Rao, Consultant, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee; Ishrat Husain, Director, Poverty and Social Policy Department, World Bank; Jennifer Riria-Ouko, Managing Director, Kenya’s Women’s Finance; Mubyarto Martodinoto, Assistant State Minister for Eradication of Poverty, Ministry of National Development Planning of Indonesia; Gastón Ibáñez, Minister and Deputy Permanent Representative of Peru; Elisabeth d’Hondt, Director, Division for Women in Development, Family and Youth Issues, Federal Ministry for Development and Cooperation, Germany. 3. The Chairperson made a statement. 4. At the same meeting, the Commission held a dialogue among Governments, in which the following delegations participated: the Dominican Republic, Congo, Ecuador, South Africa, Italy (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the European Union), Bulgaria, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Australia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Costa Rica and Tunisia. 5. The representative of the Ad Hoc Inter-agency meeting on Women made a statement. 6. The observers for Soroptimist International and a poverty caucus of non-governmental organizations also made statements. 7. The panellists responded to points raised. 8. At the 6th meeting, on 13 March, the Commission held a dialogue with representatives of organizations of the system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and heard presentations by the Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and by the representatives of the United Nations Population Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. 9. A statement was made by the Chairperson. 10. The following delegations participated in the dialogue: Sudan, Antigua and Barbuda, Ghana, Netherlands, Guinea-Bissau, Canada, United Republic of Tanzania, Dominican Republic, Russian Federation, Costa Rica, Togo, Finland, Swaziland, Namibia, Mexico, Guinea and United States of America. 11. The observer for the Commonwealth Secretariat made a statement. 12. The observer for the poverty caucus of non-governmental organizations also made a statement. 13. The panellists responded to points raised. 14. At the 7th meeting, on 14 March, the Chairperson summarized the discussion and dialogues held on the sub-item. -48-