TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 6, 2014) -
Editors Note: There is one photo associated with this press release.
UN Women National Committee Canada (UNWNCC) is pleased to announce the official launch of the HeForShe campaign in Canada. First announced by UN Women at UN Headquarters on September 20, 2014, HeForShe is a solidarity movement that engages men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women's rights.
At last night's much anticipated launch event hosted at The Spoke Club, UNWNCC President Almas Jiwani and committee members were thrilled to welcome distinguished guests to join in advancing the global movement. Guest speakers included Premiere of Ontario Kathleen Wynne and Toronto's Mayor-elect John Tory.
"It's great to be here with agents of change," Premier Wynne told the audience. "You are going to change the world." She noted that at 61, she had hoped the steps taken by her generation of women would have achieved change faster. "There has been change, but not enough," she said. "HeForShe can help us move forward. The steps to equality results in benefits shared across gender and society."
Major-elect Tory showed enthusiastic support for the campaign and encouraged all men to sign up as proponents of HeForShe, "As a man and mayor soon-to-be I am proud to lend my name and my voice to the cause... and I urge other men and boys to come forward and actively support global gender equality."
The highlight of the evening was UNWNCC President Almas Jiwani's speech in which she addressed the gravity of gender inequality issues and the need for all of Canada to join together to show their strong support for women and girls and the fight for their rights globally.
Almas Jiwani emphasized the importance of enlisting the support of men and boys, "It is imperative that we call upon men as our partners and our equals in the fight for women's rights and gender equality. Both men and women experience positive change when women are empowered; economies are stronger, health rates improve, and society becomes more equal. Gender inequality is not only a women's issue -- it is a human rights issue."
"HeForShe gives us an incredible opportunity to potentially end gender inequality -- by questioning social norms and advocating for change, we can together, men and women create a shared vision of social progress for all," remarked Ms. Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Head HeForShe Campaign, and Senior Advisor to Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Women.
UNWNCC would like to thank The X Project for co-hosting the event, as well as everyone who attended last night's Canada launch of HeForShe. Please join the solidarity movement and spread the word: http://www.heforshe.org/#take-action
If you did not get a chance to donate and would like to, please visit our website: http://www.unwomencanada.org/GI_BM.html
About HeForShe
UN Women's Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality bringing together one half of humanity in support of the other half of humanity, for the benefit of all. www.heforshe.org
About UN Women
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. A global champion for women and girls. UN Women was established to accelerate meeting their needs worldwide. www.unwomen.org
About UN Women National Committee Canada
UN Women National Committee Canada (UNWNCC) is an independent, non-governmental organization that supports the mission of UN Women through public awareness initiatives about global women's issues and fundraising efforts for UN Women programmes worldwide. For more information about UNWNCC, please visit http://www.unwomencanada.org/.
To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20141106-HeForShe-Launch-lrg.jpg
Contact Information:
Yen To
Public Relations
UN Women National Committee Canada
communications@unwomencanada.org
+1-613-234-8252 x 103
