Government has been accused of insensitivity for choosing a man to represent Bermuda at the biggest world conference on women of the decade.

The Women's Advisory Board -- a body charged with advising the Premier on women's issues -- is now taking issue with the Premier's choice of Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill as Bermuda's representative at the fourth United Nations conference on women in Beijing.

Chairwoman Mrs. Jo Carol Robinson said that while women's issues came under the umbrella of human affairs and that Mr. Dill, as Human Affairs Minister was responsible for them, she said a woman would have been better suited to the role.

"He is the minister but this is a women's conference,'' she said. She added that 95 percent of the delegates at the conference in September would be women.

"Men can empathise and sympathise but there will be some areas they will not achieve the same kind of interaction as a woman could.'' Mrs. Robinson pointed out she was not against men. But, she said, women were simply trying to come together to create an equal partnership with men and "level the playing field'' in terms of economic, health, legal and safety issues.

Yesterday Mr. Dill claimed the Premier had shown his commitment to the cause by sending a minister to the conference.

"I was asked by the Premier to do the job and I think I am perfectly capable of doing it,'' he said. "Given that I am in charge I would not be taking the issue seriously if I did not go as the minister.'' He claimed it would be pointless to send a women delegate from Government just because she was a woman because she would then have to report back to him.

He added that Sen. Yvette Swan who was attending a parallel Non-Governmental Organisation conference in Beijing would also be sitting in on the UN talks.

Sen. Swan yesterday claimed she was not shocked at the choice. She said she was pleased the minister was attending the conference, which, she said was often attended by men.

"I think it is a good thing if he goes,'' she said.

A delegation of non-governmental representatives will be also accompanying Sen. Swan to the NGO conference. They include members of The Bermuda Business and Professional Women's Club of which Sen. Swan is president.

Shadow minister of Education Ms Jennifer Smith, Ms Patti-Ann Hill, lawyers Ms Paula Cox and Mrs. Diana Kempe and Physical Abuse Centre chairperson Mrs.

Arlene Swan are among the delegates.

Participants in the NGO conference will have access to a broad range of information through workshops, discussions, exhibits and films relating to the main theme, `Action for Equality, Development and Peace''.

The focus will be on social, economic, political and cultural forces that determine relationships between men and women and how to create equality within a world of peace. More than 50 workshops on themes such as "Is women's health taken seriously?', older women, women in politics and "Women, money and empowerment''.

Mrs. Robinson added she hoped a more cohesive approach to women's issues would result from the conference. At present she said efforts were too "piecemeal'' with different groups tackling different issues. And she hoped the conference would provide the impetus to create a new body to replace the Women's Advisory Board with aim of collecting data and addressing areas of concern.