They said reservation of seats at all tiers of governance is the first step to women's political empowerment.

The press conference was held at the end of the three-day South Asia Regional Forum on Women and Local Governance organised by South Asia Partnership, a regional network of NGOs.

"If women can run families, they can also run the country which is a big family," said Chitralekha Yadav, deputy speaker of Nepal's Lower House of Representatives, adding that "Male chauvinism is a wrong attitude in South Asian politics."

She said a regional level collective campaign at a common forum to sensitise people could bring change in the existing social mindset to take women cause ahead.

Three issues that need urgent attention are quality enhancement of women participation in local government, advocacy for reservation of women seats at all levels of governance and combating violence against women in politics, said the SAP Executive Director Rohit Kumar Nepali of Nepal.

Rubina Feroz Bhatti of Taangh Wasaib Tanseem from Pakistan said women in her country face discriminations due religious laws.

She said women participation in governance and policy making in her country is frustrating.

There has been only 4.9 percent women participation in national politics and 1.7 percent in local level politics in Sri Lanka which is the lowest in the region since 1931 when the country declared and adopted adult franchise, said Seela Ebert of Agromart Foundation.

Executive Director of India's Institute of Social Sciences George Mathew said free flow of information is a must for women empowerment as he said "information is power."

Executive Director of SAP Bangladesh chapter Syed Nurul Alam and Gender Committee Chair of Federation of Canadian Municipalities Joan Lougheed were present at the news conference.