Events

Afshan Khan

Afshan Khan is the UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and the Special Coordinator for the Refuge and Migrant Response in Europe. She is based in Geneva. An international public servant for over 30 years, she was the Director of Emergency Programmes for UNICEF, and she has held other senior positions including Director of Public-Sector Alliances and Resource Mobilization; Associate Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa; and the UNICEF Representative in Jamaica. Ms. Khan has extensive field experience including assignments in Kenya; Mozambique; Democratic Republic of Congo; and Colombia. She also has broad United Nations-wide expertise stemming from assignments with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Humanitarian Affairs (IASC) in Geneva; the Executive Office of the Secretary- General; and the United Nations Development Group. From 2012 to 2014 Ms. Khan took leave from the United Nations to become the CEO of Women for Women International. In that role, she was responsible for setting the strategic vision and mobilizing the necessary resources for women rebuilding their lives after war.

The Honourable Dr Rosemary Moodie

The Honourable Dr Rosemary Moodie, an independent Senator representing Ontario, was appointed to the Senate of Canada on December 12, 2018. Born in Jamaica, Senator Moodie is a paediatrician and neonatologist. After graduating from the University of the West Indies, she completed postgraduate training in Paediatric and Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine at Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. The senior neonatologist, clinical teacher and associate professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, she is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto as well as an MA in Public Administration from Queen’s University. Among her many awards, Senator Moodie holds the Order of Distinction – Commander Rank from the Government of Jamaica and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons - Prix d’excellence – Specialist of the Year; Canadian Paediatric Society - Distinguished Community Paediatrician.

In 2020, she championed the creation of a federal Commissioner for Children and Youth– something that the NCWC has been advocating for since 2001.

Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne

Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne was appointed to the Senate in 2018, prior to which she has enjoyed a long and successful national and international career as a journalist with CBC-Radio-Canada and television. In 2007, she became the first woman ombudsman of Radio-Canada, following which, in 2011, she was named Chair of the Quebec government’s Conseil du statut de la femme. In 2016, she jumped to diplomacy, serving as Quebec’s representative with the Permanent Delegation of Canada to UNESCO, and then as the Quebec government envoy for human rights and freedoms. Among her many awards are the Reconnaissance UQAM, the Raymond-Charette Awards, as well as the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards for her report on children and terrorism, “Les enfants et le terrorisme”. Ms. Miville-Dechêne holds a graduate degree in conflict prevention and resolution from the Université de Sherbrooke, an MA in journalism from Columbia University, and a BA in political science from the UQAM.

Founding member of the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians (CAFP) and Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, she has introduced bills that focus on children including Bill S-216 on modern slavery and Bill S-210 that was reintroduced to the Senate on November 24th calling for the implementation of age verification methods online to protect minors from exposure to online pornography.

Marilyn Evans

Marilyn Evans is best known for her honest and direct approach in confronting the challenge of raising kids in a media-saturated world. She is the director of Parents Aware, an organization aimed at helping parents have healthy conversations with their kids about pornography, sex, and relationships. She earned her degree in Family Home and Social Science and continues to sharpen her skills with continued research and through the real-life experience of raising five sons.

The voice behind the podcast Media Savvy Moms, Marilyn offers support and guidance, wisdom and insights on a topic many parents, grandparents, educators and others find difficult to navigate. A sought-after speaker she grew up in Toronto, Canada and currently lives nearby with her husband, two sons and their dog Mandi.