The Secretary-General of United Nations Mr. Antonio Guterras appointed Malala Yousafzai as a UN ambassador of peace with a concentration on girls’ child education. Malala is a celebrated children’s right activist and a proud winner of a Nobel Laureate. The UN ambassadors of Peace are illustrious personalities, who have been carefully chosen from various fields such as art, literature, science, entertainment, sports and every other field of human endeavors, which have been able to achieve a remarkable result on the global scene. These recognitions are often backed up by bestowing on such personalities with the highest honor by the Secretary-General, these individuals on their part are expected to take up the task of volunteering their time, innovation and interest to spread better the awareness of UN’s efforts of improving billions of lives of people in the world.
Ms. Yousafzai was shot in 2012 by the Taliban for attending schools, but today young Malala is the youngest-ever UN Ambassador and first to be celebrated by the Secretary General, since assuming office in January this year. The Secretary-General described Malala as a symbol of one of the most significant events in the world specifically on universal education. While accepting the great compliment, Ms. Yousafzai emphasized on the significance of education, more specifically for girls, as an indispensable tool for advancing human society. She reiterated that change is a course that should begin with everyone.
Ms. Yousafzai, while answering a question asked by one of the young representatives in the audience at the event; said her most difficult time in life had been between 2007 and 2009 in the Swat Valley, the reason for this was that it was a point where critical decisions are to be made. Also, reminiscing on her attack in 2012, she said her attackers tried all they could to halt her desires, but the fact that she is alive is clear evidence that no one can stop her. Thus she will continue to press for her desires.
Furthermore, Ms. Yousafazi maintained that it is imperative for every male to support women and girls in the effort of ensuring education for all and more significantly allowing them to be whatever they want for themselves. Speaking further, she said her father has always told anyone not to ask him what he has done to her to make her turned out this way, but rather they should ask him what he did not do for her – clearly, his answers have always been that he never clipped Malala’s wings.
Rounding up the discussion the Secretary-General described Ms. Yousafzai’s life as a remarkable one and an example of solidarity, particularly to Pakistan, because the event has opened Pakistan borders to many, and has received over seven million refugees, and therefore concluded that the occurrence would serve as an example to other nations that it is not by closing doors to other nations that we can move as nations of the world.