Malala receives highest UN honour to promote girls' education
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UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai a UN Messenger of Peace on Monday to promote girls education.
At 19, Ms Yousafzai is the youngest Messenger of Peace, the highest honour given by the UN for an initial period of two years.
She was also the youngest person to win the Nobel peace prize in 2014 when she was 17.
“You are not only a hero, but you are a very committed and generous person,” Mr Guterres told her.
Other current Messengers of Peace include actor Leonardo di Caprio, for climate change, actor Charlize Theron, whose focus is prevention of HIV and elimination of violence against women, and actor Michael Douglas, for disarmament.
Ms Yousafzai has become a regular speaker on the global stage and visited camps in Rwanda and Kenya last July to highlight the plight of refugee girls from Burundi and Somalia.
The education activist came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head in 2012 as she was leaving school in Swat. She was targeted for her campaign against efforts by the Taliban to deny women education.
“The extremists tried all their best to stop me, they tried to kill me and they didn’t succeed,” Ms Yousafzai said on Monday. “Now this is a new life, this is a second life and it is for the purpose of education.” She now lives in Britain, where she received medical treatment after she was shot.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2017
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Comments (40) Closed
Apr 11, 2017 08:23am
Well done Malala, you are the true daughter of the nation.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:24am
A great honour. Malala, daughter of Pakistan, we are proud of you beti.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:29am
She makes me proud.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:34am
Congratulations to Malala!! Can you please elaborate her latest efforts for girls education in Pakistan. Maybe she can persuade international donors for the purpose. And open Malala girl schools chain in underprivileged areas of Pakistan. Would love to read something like that.
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Apr 11, 2017 09:18am
Malala you are a symbol of inspiration for the millions of people in Pakistan and all over the world
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Apr 11, 2017 09:19am
Malala is a pillar of strength for all us.
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Apr 11, 2017 09:23am
Such a proud moment! Well done Malala.
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Apr 11, 2017 09:28am
Proud of you Malala daughter of Pakistan, God gave you the honour & saved you for greater things , hate mongers have been humiliated
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Apr 11, 2017 09:31am
We are still unable to know what she has done for the society in Pakistan for Education. Her work if done, may be published to know better about her works.
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Apr 11, 2017 09:46am
Bravo Malala. You're a real hero of our country. A moment of honour and pride for Pakistan.
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Apr 11, 2017 09:58am
I miss Edhi.
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Apr 11, 2017 10:03am
She was an outstanding shining young star in Pakistan, and for now she is destined to be the brightest star in the world. Stay blessed, Malala.
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Apr 11, 2017 10:19am
I wish i was like her.
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Apr 11, 2017 10:25am
@DK PAMNANI : First tell me what you have done for Pakisthan? It is our misfortune, we have mindset like yours, so ignorent. She has done great work, because of her thousands of parent are sending little girls to school in paksithan, millions of parents worldwide are affected in a positive way because of her. What more you want, another bullet in her head? Sorry mate. She is a face for girls education.
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Apr 11, 2017 10:57am
Congratulations, pride of the Nation. You are the true daughter of Pakistan
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Apr 11, 2017 11:18am
Amazing Grace! Congratulations Malala. With best wishes for your project "Education for Girls and peace in the whole World".
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Apr 11, 2017 11:35am
Malala - You are Pride of Pakistan
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Apr 11, 2017 01:41pm
Malala always makes us proud. One day she will be the president of Pakistan.
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Apr 11, 2017 03:30pm
Great honor. Now please send her back to Pakistan.
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Apr 11, 2017 03:31pm
@Saif zulfiqar : Malala - You are Pride of Pakistan.
She lives in Britain for safety, not in Pakistan. Pride of Britain..
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Apr 11, 2017 03:35pm
I wonder if she spends her time studying or collecting those awards. If she is so dedicated towards education, must not waste precious hours & minutes on these award collections.
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Apr 11, 2017 03:40pm
@David
I am Proud Hindu Indian based in Delhi
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Apr 11, 2017 03:49pm
Yeah, Pakistan is proud of you. Now please return home & do something good for girls here as well.
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Apr 11, 2017 03:53pm
When Malala got Nobel peace prize, I had noted that nearly half of the comments from Pakistanis were negative, which was disturbing because they represented the educated Pakistanis. Today I see a very good change. Atleast more of the educated Pakistanis are accepting Malala and what she stands for.
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Apr 11, 2017 04:09pm
Few people in Pakistan are against education for women or against empowerment of women. Benazeer Bhutto in Pakistan could become Pakistan's Prime Minister but US has never had a
woman President. In the US Congress and the Senate the current composition of women 1s only
19.4% and 21% respectively. Where do women need more empowerment? Empowerment of
women and secularization of society are two different issues which are being mixed together.
Miss Malala has to prove her neutrality and worthiness by going to Srinagar and speak about
the rights and empowerment of women in particular and the Kashmiri people in general. In the
next stage she should concentrate on the empowerment and rights of the Rohingya girls and
women and men who are forced to leave their homes and the Mayanmar Government does not
do anything about that although the government is headed by a Noble Laureate......
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Apr 11, 2017 04:15pm
@DK PAMNANI - INDIA But you like Pakistan and Pakistani Websites a lot.So why are you so
critical of Malala who has been honoured by the prestigious United Nations. Her honour is also
the honour of the Pakistani Nation?
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Apr 11, 2017 04:28pm
well i feel pity on people who dont know anything about malala..2 girls were shot by terrorist .. how come one only is so famous? what about the other girl.. what about other girls in palestine and syria ?? how come malala father can speak american accent english living in pakistan? how come he and malala met few days before the incident with richard holbrooke? how come every month she is been given some sort of awards for promoting eduction in pakistan? how come she is being given these awards while living outside pakistan? what good she is doing for pakistan?
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Apr 11, 2017 04:42pm
@sherryaar Do you think it is easy to get all the way to United Nations to get the prestigious
award which Malala has been given? You have put tons of questions for a 19 year old to solve?
Where is your logic? be realistic and proud that she has made Pakistan proud internationally?
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Apr 11, 2017 05:42pm
May I please know why not EDHI?
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Apr 11, 2017 05:46pm
Bravo:MALALA,YOU DESERVE EVERY BIT OF IT>
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Apr 11, 2017 06:18pm
Can there be a greater moment !
I waited full day to count the comments... Only 30 comments.
We are busy over usual daily matters !!
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Apr 11, 2017 06:23pm
@sherryaar Excellent points. There was no education in Pakistan till Malalla came along and was shot in the head. That filled our colleges and universities with students, teachers and education. Malalla gave us education. We are proud of her. Good girl!
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Apr 11, 2017 06:42pm
@sherryaar agreed you are very correct.
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Apr 11, 2017 06:56pm
@sherryaar atleast she brought a good name for Pakistan
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Apr 11, 2017 08:03pm
May all parents have daughters like Malala. She is a national icon representing all that is good. proud to be a Brummie because Malala lives here.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:07pm
@sherryaar Conspiracy theories will get you nowhere. She is looked up to the world over because she practices what she preaches, unlike so many other so called pious 'leaders'.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:13pm
Well done. We proud on you
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Apr 11, 2017 08:20pm
She is my girl. Great job Malala. We are proud of you and wish you success in your mission. I pray for you and your family every Fajir prayers. I can't wait for your to grow up soon and come back and straighten out our our country also.
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Apr 11, 2017 08:21pm
@sherryaar There are lot of people in Pakistan who have sympathies with terrorists and they always try their best to exonerate them and present them as savior no doubt such people are quite annoyed with Malala who exposed them while she was still very young and as soon as her real identity exposed they tried to finish her the terrorist came to kill her they were not interested in other girls who were injured in the incident (at least you have accepted that there was a attack a two girls were injured because most of the terrorist sympathizers even do want to accept this reality also) she is now in UK for the last many years therefore it is not surprising that how she is speaking English fluently (anyhow to make your comments more spicy you wrote american accent) your agony is understandable
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Apr 11, 2017 11:05pm
Great news that she has another star on her resume and I am truly proud of her. I hope she does something for her city Swat with regards to the girls education. The condition of schools is pathetic in Swat and it's sounding areas. She can sponsor some model elementary schools in the area so her own people are benefitted as well.
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