Nazanin Afshin-Jam is an Iranian-Canadian human rights and democracy advocate.
Born in Tehran in 1979 at the height of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Nazanin and her family were forced to flee to Canada after her father was arrested and tortured at the hands of the regime.
Shaped by this experience and with an aspiration to defend human rights globally, Nazanin entered the Miss World competition after learning its motto of “beauty with a purpose,” winning the title of Miss Canada and finishing 1st runner up at Miss World.
After successfully running an international campaign to save the life of a juvenile wrongfully sentenced to death in Iran, Nazanin then co-founded Stop Child Executions to help put an end to executions of juveniles worldwide.
Since the spark of the revolutionary Woman, Life, Freedom movement following the murder of Mahsa Amini, Nazanin founded the Iranian Justice Collective to advance the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people and to serve as a voice for the Iranian diaspora.
Nazanin has advocated for the Iranian people extensively at the United Nations and in forums around the world. For her work, Nazanin has been awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service in Canada.
Nazanin is married to Peter MacKay, Canada’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Minister of Justice.
Follow Nazanin Afshin-Jam on X, Facebook, Instagram
