Girl who survived Taliban attack hopes men, boys become advocates for gender equality

NEW YORK - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday designated 19-year-old Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan as the UN's youngest Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls' education.

In a ceremony held at the UN in New York, Guterres said the designation came for Malala's service to the ideals and objectives of the UN and her courageous defense of the rights of all people, including women and girls.

Wearing a light pink headscarf, Malala said she was honored to be the Messenger of Peace and once again appealed for equal education opportunities for girls.

"Education is the basic right for every child; especially for girls, this right should not be neglected," she said.

Born on July 12, 1997, in Pakistan's Swat Valley, Yousafzai became an international symbol of the fight for girls' education after being shot in 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education.

She survived the attack and in 2014 became the youngest-ever Nobel laureate when she was recognized for her advocacy of the right of all children to education.

The 19-year-old, who expects to attend university in the United Kingdom to study philosophy, politics and economics, answered questions from young people after Guterres officially bestowed on her the highest honor the UN chief can give a global citizen, calling her "a hero" and an inspiration for defending the rights of all people to education and equality while putting her life at risk.

Difficult times

The secretary-general, once an assistant professor of physics, spoke with emotion when he told several hundred people at the ceremony: "Can you imagine what it is for a frustrated professor to be facing the most famous student in the world?"

Malala said the most difficult time she faced was living "in the situation of terror in Swat Valley from 2007 to 2009" and deciding to speak out.

"What I realized is if you remain silent, you are still going to be targeted by these people," she said.

"You're still going to live in a situation of terrorism for your whole life. So it's better to speak out because you do something from your side. You try your best."

Malala said she faced a second challenging moment after the Taliban attack, which she doesn't remember, and woke up in a hospital in Birmingham, England.

"I had to make a strong decision how I want to lead the rest of my life," she said.

"This is a new life, a second life, and it is for the purpose of education," and working especially for girls education, said Malala,

She said "it is important for girl to realize that their action and their voice is important, and it is needed right now."

Malala paid tribute to her father, who attended the ceremony, and said unlike many fathers he never stopped her.

She also said she hoped men and boys would become advocates for gender equality.

"Men should not clip the wings of women, and let them fly and let them go forward," she said.