WUNRN
Malala delivered this address on education to the United Nations Youth Assembly on 'Malala Day', her 16th birthday.
Education campaigner Malala
Yousafzai delivers a speech to the UN on her sixteenth birthday, Malala Day
Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
This is a transcription of the speech that Malala Yousafzai gave to the United
Nations on 12 July 2013, the date of her 16th birthday and
"Malala Day" at the UN.
In the name of God, the most beneficent, the most merciful.
Honorable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, respected president of the
General Assembly Vuk Jeremic, honorable UN envoy for global education Mr Gordon
Brown, respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters: Assalamu alaikum.
Today is it an honor for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being
here with such honorable people is a great moment in my life and it is an honor
for me that today I am wearing a shawl of the late Benazir Bhutto. I don't know
where to begin my speech. I don't know what people would be expecting me to
say, but first of all thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you
to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and new life. I cannot
believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish
cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to
the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose
prayers strengthened me. I would like to thank my nurses, doctors and the staff
of the hospitals in
I fully support
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his Global Education First Initiative and
the work of UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown and the
respectful president of the UN General Assembly Vuk Jeremic. I thank them for
the leadership they continue to give. They continue to inspire all of us to
action. Dear brothers and sisters, do remember one thing: Malala Day is not my
day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised
their voice for their rights.
There are hundreds of human rights activists and social workers who are not
only speaking for their rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goal of
peace, education and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the
terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them. So here I
stand. So here I stand, one girl, among many. I speak not for myself, but so
those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights.
Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity. Their
right to equality of opportunity. Their right to be educated.
Dear friends, on 9 October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my
forehead. They shot my friends, too. They thought that the bullets would
silence us, but they failed. And out of that silence came thousands of voices.
The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But
nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died.
Strength, power and courage was born.
I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. And
my dreams are the same. Dear sisters and brothers, I am not against anyone.
Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or
any other terrorist group. I am here to speak for the right of education for
every child. I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all
the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even
if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not
shoot him. This is the compassion I have learned from Mohammed, the prophet of
mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This the legacy of change I have inherited
from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi,
Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned
from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be
peaceful and love everyone.
Dear sisters and brothers, we realize the importance of light when we see
darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the
same way, when we were in Swat, the north of
They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would point
guns at people's heads just for going to school. These terrorists are misusing
the name of Islam for their own personal benefit.
In
Today I am focusing on women's rights and girls' education because they are
suffering the most. There was a time when women activists asked men to stand up
for their rights. But this time we will do it by ourselves. I am not telling
men to step away from speaking for women's rights, but I am focusing on women
to be independent and fight for themselves. So dear sisters and brothers, now
it's time to speak up. So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their
strategic policies in favor of peace and prosperity. We call upon the world
leaders that all of these deals must protect women and children's rights. A
deal that goes against the rights of women is unacceptable.
We call upon all governments to ensure free, compulsory education all over
the world for every child. We call upon all the governments to fight against
terrorism and violence. To protect children from brutality and harm. We call
upon the developed nations to support the expansion of education opportunities
for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant,
to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sect, color, religion or agenda to
ensure freedom and equality for women so they can flourish. We cannot all
succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world
to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full
potential.
Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child's
bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and
education. No one can stop us. We will speak up for our rights and we will
bring change to our voice. We believe in the power and the strength of our
words. Our words can change the whole world because we ware all together,
united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let
us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves
with unity and togetherness.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are
suffering from poverty and injustice and ignorance. We must not forget that
millions of children are out of their schools. We must not forget that our
sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright, peaceful future.
So let us wage, so let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy,
poverty and terrorism, let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most
powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the
world. Education is the only solution. Education first. Thank you.