Malala Yousafzai becomes the youngest UN Messenger of Peace, will focus on girls education

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Pakistani teenager Malala as "the most famous student in the world".

United Nations, April, 11: Malala Yousafzai, 19-year old Nobel Prize winner become the youngest UN Messenger of Peace on Monday. She is the 13th Messenger of Peace. Malala was appointed as the Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Malala, as the Messenger of Peace, will focus mostly on girl’s education.

While appointing her as the Messenger of Peace, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Pakistani teenager Malala as “the most famous student in the world”. After receiving the appointment, Malala said to girls, “You are real changemakers if you do not stand up, change will not come, if u want to see your future bright, you have to work starting now, you should not wait for anyone else, we start working on it now. It starts with us and we should start now.”

Malala Yousafzai drew global attention in 2012, when she was shot in the head by Taliban as a punishment for promoting girls to go to school. The campaign led by Malala had defied the militant Islamic group’s ban on female education. Malala was wounded but survived after receiving medical treatment in Britain, where now she lives and pursuing her school. Malala since then continued her campaigning on the world stage and in 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate in the world.

“Even in the face of grave danger, Malala Yousafzai has shown an unwavering commitment to the rights of women, girls and all people,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who selected Malala Yousafzai to be a UN messenger of peace. “Her courageous activism for girls’ education has already energised so many people around the world. Now as our youngest-ever UN Messenger of Peace, Malala can do even more to help create a more just and peaceful world,” Guterres added.

“If you do not stand up, change will not come.”

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has a message for girls around the world: pic.twitter.com/1VGQ6pcTY3

— Fusion (@Fusion) April 11, 2017

#MalalaYousafzai, youngest Nobel Peace laureate, designated as @UN Messenger of Peace with special focus on girls’ education @MalalaFundpic.twitter.com/vEfDU16e0o

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 11, 2017

Other messengers of peace include actors Michael Douglas and Leonardo DiCaprio, primatologist Jane Goodall and musicians Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma.