UN Women National Committee Canada to Celebrate International Women's Day at the Celebration of Women's Gala in Toronto

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 15, 2015) - Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women National Committee Canada will embrace the summit with an Evening Gala opening remarks about the vitality of Mental Health and its symbolic importance for International Women's Day 2015 at the Annual International Women's Day on March 8^th, 2015 hosted by A Celebration of Women.

"I am happy to speak about women's mental health on International Women's Day. Why? Because even on the day we are celebrating milestones, planning ahead, and looking to our leaders, the subject of mental health often remains overlooked. Yet mental health has touched someone in all our lives. Mental health can no longer be equated as a stigma, as all obstacles in the pursuit for equality - they must be met head on. I look forward to addressing my esteemed peers on the value women play in discussing and encouraging more dialogue on mental health in women's livelihood," said Almas Jiwani.

The summit will host a full spectrum of mental health specialists with focus on the current required positive action the world needs for sustainable change. Emulating the Action Plan 2013 - 2020, WHO, we will be addressing the four major objectives as are set forth: more effective leadership and governance for mental health; the provision of comprehensive, integrated mental health and social care services in community-based settings; implementation of strategies for promotion and prevention; and strengthened information systems, evidence and research.

"Almas Jiwani joins us in our evening ceremony with her vision for Post 2015 Women. We are honored and appreciate her diligently working to better the lives of women in Canada and worldwide and honoring mutual planning of future collaboration," said Catherine Anne Clark, founder of A Celebration of Women.

To learn more about the event and how to obtain tickets please visit: www.acelebrationofwomen.org

Twitter: Follow the work of the UN Women National Committee Canada @UNWomenCanada, and its president Almas Jiwani @AlmasJiwani

Search the hashtag #HeForShe and #beijing20 for updates on our ongoing campaigns.

UN Women's ongoing campaigns:

Beijing+20: Beijing+20 marks 20 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995. It had a single purpose: gender equality and the empowerment of all women, everywhere. It produced the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women's rights.

The Platform for Action wants a world where each woman and girl can exercise her freedoms and choices, and realize all her rights, such as to live free from violence, to go to school, to participate in decisions and to earn equal pay for equal work.

HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality. Gender equality was at one time a struggle for women by women but now is the time for this to change. A movement is building around the world that sees men taking a stronger stand on equality. Canada currently has over 13,000 men who have committed to furthering gender equality within our country.

IMPACT 10X10X10 aims to add corporations, governments, universities and grassroots organizations into the growing movement of equality. Gender equality benefits everyone. IMPACT 10X10X10 builds on HeForShe as a movement that seeks gender equality advocates in every sphere of influence.

ABOUT UN WOMEN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CANADA

UN Women National Committee Canada is an independent, non-government organization that supports the mission of UN Women through public awareness initiatives about UN Women and global women's issues, as well as fundraising efforts to support UN Women programmes worldwide.

For more information about UN Women, please visit http://www.unwomencanada.org/.