Cherie Booth, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair is among a list of high profilers who will take part in a conference in Bermuda in October.

Other participants in the Women in Public Life Conference include US congresswoman Diane Watson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Lady Christie, wife of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas.

The conference will be held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on October 17 to October 20.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb said the conference would feature a diverse panel of international speakers.

The idea of the conference stemmed from the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, where delegates declared that the inequalities between men and women can affect the well-being of all people.

Ms Webb stressed the importance of women having equal decision-making roles in public life and said that young women, in particular, need to be encouraged to consider careers in all areas.

Tickets for the conference are now available at $500. It includes a banquet and a host of conference sessions.

Further information on the conference will be posted on www.womeninpubliclife.bm