NEW YORK, NEW YORK–(Marketwire – Feb. 24, 2011) – The UN today celebrates the historic launch of UN Women, its newest organization, with an evening including luminaries from the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, the media, music and film in the UN General Assembly Hall.

UN Women, formally known as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, combines four previous UN bodies and represents the United Nations’ most ambitious effort ever to accelerate actions to achieve gender equality. Around the world, supporters of women’s rights have heralded its debut.

Almas Jiwani, first president of the National Committee of UN Women in Canada, who is also partaking in the celebrations in New York, urges Canadians to “seize the momentum and support gender equality and the empowerment of women. The United Nations’ new strategic direction on gender equality will provide a more dynamic and strong voice for women and girls into a new era of collaborative effort in the empowerment of women.”