Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women National Committee Canada, Appointed Member of Magna Carta Canada Honourary Committee

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 6, 2014) - Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women National Committee Canada, has been selected as a member of the Magna Carta Canada Honourary Committee.

The committee will oversee plans for the Canadian tour of the venerable Magna Carta and its companion document, the Charter of the Forest, which will be touring four Canadian cities in 2015, commemorating their 800^th anniversary.

"It is a privilege to become a member of the distinguished Magna Carta Committee. This is an iconic document and with true relevance to our contemporary lives, particularly those of girls and women, despite its 800 years," said Almas Jiwani.

"It is the seminal document for women's rights, perhaps not as we understand them, but it certainly is among the original links in the chain to what United Nations Women Canada National Committee, and other organizations such as ours around the world, stand for and are working so hard to achieve," she said.

Other members of the Magna Carta Canada Committee are former Prime Ministers the Right Honourable John Turner and the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell; former Cabinet Minister the Honourable David Crombie; former Ontario Chief Justice, Roy McMurtry; and political commentator, David Frum.

"This appointment serves as an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of women's rights, both in Canada and throughout the world, in conjunction with the mandate of Magna Carta Canada," said Almas Jiwani.

Len Rodness, co-chair of Magna Carta Canada, and a partner of Toronto law firm Torkin Manes LLP, says that the organization is honoured to have Ms. Jiwani as part of the Honourary Committee. "Almas is one of the most respected voices in Canada with respect to women's rights and empowerment. The inclusion of women's rights in the Magna Carta is not among its most well-known features, and we are hoping that Almas will help make that aspect of the Magna Carta better understood."

About UN Women National Committee Canada

UN Women National Committee Canada raises UN Women's profile and promotes its work in Canada; Supports the mission of UN Women through their public awareness initiatives about UN Women and global women's issues, and fundraising efforts to support UN Women programmes worldwide. www.unwomencanada.org

About Magna Carta Canada

The Honourary Committee of Magna Carta Canada is offering its support to the efforts required to bring the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest to Canada.

The Magna Carta embodies key democratic principles that still guide us today, including equality before the law, habeas corpus, the right to a trial by jury. It was one of the first pieces of legislation to consider the rights of women. As symbols of justice, the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest also act as powerful reminders that those who govern do so only by the consent of the people.