Malala named youngest United Nations messenger of peace
- by Bradley Newman
- in Global
- — Apr 11, 2017
Hailing the Pakistani teenager as "the most famous student in the world" and the symbol of the cause of education for all, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed her on Monday as the Messenger of Peace for girls' education.
At 19, Yousafzai is the youngest Messenger of Peace, the highest honor given by the United Nations for an initial period of two years.
Malala is known as the girl who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out against them.
Born on 12 July 1997 in Pakistan's Swat Valley, Yousafzai became an global symbol for the fight for girls' education after being shot on 9 October 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education.
FILE - Malala Yousafzai holds flowers after speaking during a media conference at the Library of Birmingham, in Birmingham, England, Oct. 10, 2014, after she was named as victor of The Nobel Peace Prize.
She not only survived the attack, but thrived as a global figure, setting up an education NGO, the Malala Fund, and becoming the youngest laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17. "You are not only a hero, but you are a very committed and generous person". "Now this is a new life, this is a second life and it is for the objective of education".
She was critically injured and was treated in Birmingham, where she now lives. "I think people should look at me and all of the other 1.6 billion Muslims who are living in peace and believe in peace rather than looking at a few terrorists...they are not us", she said during the designation ceremony.
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This time, the world was listening when she spoke: "I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child".
The deadly attack on the young girl sparked worldwide outrage, and she was transferred from a hospital in Pakistan to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital for life-saving treatment.
Over 130 million girls are out of school today.
Yousafzai lives in Britain with her parents and younger brother.
Malala Yousafzai at the United Nations.
Yousafzai joins the ranks of other U.N. Messengers of Peace, including actors Michael Douglas (disarmament) and Leonardo DiCaprio (climate change), and musician Stevie Wonder (persons with disabilities).
"The sacrifice she has given for humanity, it has no precedent in [the] contemporary world", Khan told VOA's Deewa service.
