Who Is Malala Yousafzai?

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17, became the
youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt by the
Taliban. Born on July 12, 1997, Yousafzai became an advocate for girls' education when she
herself was still a child, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On
October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from school. She
survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a
speech to the United Nations and published her first book, I Am Malala. In 2014, she won the
Nobel Peace Prize.

Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize

In October 2014, at age 17 Malala Yousafzai became the youngest person

to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was awarded the Nobel along with
Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. Malala was first nominated
for the prize in 2013 but did not win; she was renominated in March 2014.

In congratulating Yousafzai, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said:

“She is (the) pride of Pakistan, she has made her countrymen proud. Her
achievement is unparalleled and unequaled. Girls and boys of the world
should take lead from her struggle and commitment." Former U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described Malala as "a brave and gentle
advocate of peace who, through the simple act of going to school, became
a global teacher.”

United Nations Speech

Nine months after being shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai gave a
speech at the United Nations on her 16th birthday in 2013. Yousafzai
highlighted her focus on education and women's rights, urging world
leaders to change their policies.

Yousafzai said that following the attack, “the terrorists thought that they
would change our aims and stop our ambitions, but nothing changed in my
life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power
and courage were born.”

She also urged action against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism:

“The extremists were, and they are, afraid of books and pens. The power of
education frightens them. They are afraid of women... Let us pick up our
books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.”

Full text of her speech:

ismillah hir rahman ir rahim. In the name of God, the most merciful, the most
beneficent.
Your Majesties, distinguished members of the Norweigan Nobel Committee, dear
sisters and brothers, today is a day of great happiness for me. I am humbled that the
Nobel Committee has selected me for this precious award.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support and love. I am grateful for the
letters and cards that I still receive from all around the world. Reading your kind and
encouraging words strengthens and inspires me.
I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional love. Thank you to my father
for not clipping my wings and for letting me fly. Thank you to my mother for
inspiring me to be patient and to always speak the truth- which we strongly believe is
the real message of Islam.
I am very proud to be the first Pashtun, the first Pakistani, and the first young person
to receive this award. I am pretty certain that I am also the first recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers. I want there to be peace
everywhere, but my brothers and I are still working on that.
I am also honoured to receive this award together with Kailash Satyarti, who has been
a champion of children's rights for a long time. Twice as long, in fact, than I have
been alive. I am also glad that we can stand together and show the world that an
Indian and a Pakistani can be united in peace and together work for children's rights.
Dear brothers and sisters, I was named after the inspirational Pashtun Joan of Arc,
Malalai of Maiwand. The word Malala means "grief stricken", "sad", but in order to
lend some happiness to it, my grandfather would always call me Malala - The happiest
girl in this world and today I am very happy that we are standing together for an
important cause.
This award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want education. It
is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who
want change.
I am here to stand up for their rights, raise their voice ... it is not time to pity them. It is
time to take action so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of
education.
I have found that people describe me in many different ways.
Some people call me the girl who was shot by the Taliban.
And some, the girl who fought for her rights.
Some people, call me a "Nobel Laureate" now.
As far as I know, I am just a committed and stubborn person who wants to see every
child getting quality education, who wants equal rights for women and who wants
peace in every corner of the world.
Education is one of the blessings of life-and one of its necessities. That has been my
experience during the 17 years life. In my home in Swat Valley, in the north of
Pakistan, I always loved school and learning new things. I remember when my friends
and I would decorate our hands with henna for special occasions. Instead of drawing
flowers and patterns we would paint our hands with mathematical formulas and
equations.
We had a thirst for education because our future was right there in that classroom. We
would sit and read and learn together. We loved to wear neat and tidy school uniforms
and we would sit there with big dreams in our eyes. We wanted to make our parents
proud and prove that we could excel in our studies and achieve things, which some
people think only boys can.
Things did not remain the same. When I was ten, Swat, which was a place of beauty
and tourism, suddenly changed into a place of terrorism. More than 400 schools were
destroyed. Girls were stopped from going to school. Women were flogged. Innocent
people were killed. We all suffered. And our beautiful dreams turned into nightmares.
Education went from being a right to being a crime.
But when my world suddenly changed, my priorities changed too.
I had two options, one was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was
to speak up and then be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up.
The terrorists tried to stop us and attacked me and my friends on 9th October 2012,
but their bullets could not win.
We survived. And since that day, our voices have only grown louder.
I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not.
It is the story of many girls.
Today, I tell their stories too. I have brought with me to Oslo, some of my sisters, who
share this story, friends from Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. My brave sisters Shazia and
Kainat Riaz who were also shot that day in Swat with me. They went through a tragic
trauma too. Also my sister Kainat Somro from Pakistan who suffered extreme
violence and abuse, even her brother was killed, but she did not succumb.
And there are girls with me, who I have met during my Malala Fund campaign, who
are now like my sisters, my courageous 16 year old sister Mezon from Syria, who now
lives in Jordan in a refugee camp and goes from tent to tent helping girls and boys to
learn. And my sister Amina, from the North of Nigeria, where Boko Haram threatens
and kidnaps girls, simply for wanting to go to school.
Though I appear as one girl, one person, who is 5 foot 2 inches tall, if you include my
high heels. I am not a lone voice, I am many.
I am Shazia.
I am Kainat Riaz.
I am Kainat Somro.
I am Mezon.
I am Amina. I am those 66 million girls who are out of school.
People like to ask me why education is important especially for girls. My answer is
always the same.
What I have learnt from the first two chapters of the Holy Quran, is the word Iqra,
which means "read", and the word, nun wal-qalam which means "by the pen"?
And therefore as I said last year at the United Nations, "One child, one teacher, one
pen and one book can change the world."
Today, in half of the world, we see rapid progress, modernisation and development.
However, there are countries where millions still suffer from the very old problems of
hunger, poverty, injustice and conflicts.
Indeed, we are reminded in 2014 that a century has passed since the beginning of the
First World War, but we still have not learnt all of the lessons that arose from the loss
of those millions of lives a hundred years ago.
There are still conflicts in which hundreds of thousands of innocent people have lost
their lives. Many families have become refugees in Syria, Gaza and Iraq. There are
still girls who have no freedom to go to school in the north of Nigeria. In Pakistan and
Afghanistan we see innocent people being killed in suicide attacks and bomb blasts.
Many children in Africa do not have access to school because of poverty.
Many children in India and Pakistan are deprived of their right to education because of
social taboos, or they have been forced into child labour and girls into child marriages.
One of my very good school friends, the same age as me, had always been a bold and
confident girl and dreamed of becoming a doctor. But her dream remained a dream. At
age of 12, she was forced to get married and then soon had a son at an age when she
herself was a child - only 14. I know that my friend would have been a very good
doctor.
But she couldn't ... because she was a girl.
Her story is why I dedicate the Nobel Prize money to the Malala Fund, to help give
girls everywhere a quality education and call on leaders to help girls like me, Mezun
and Amina. The first place this funding will go is where my heart is, to build schools
in Pakistan-especially in my home of Swat and Shangla.
In my own village, there is still no secondary school for girls. I want to build one, so
my friends can get an education-and the opportunity it brings to fulfil their dreams.
That is where I will begin, but it is not where I will stop. I will continue this fight until
I see every child in school. I feel much stronger after the attack that I endured, because
I know, no one can stop me, or stop us, because now we are millions, standing up
together.
Dear brothers and sisters, great people,who brought change, like Martin Luther King
and Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Aung San Suu Kyi, they once stood here on
this stage. I hope the steps that Kailash Satyarti and I have taken so far and will take
on this journey will also bring change - lasting change.
My great hope is that this will be the last time we must fight for the education of our
children. We want everyone to unite to support us in our campaign so that we can
solve this once and for all.
Like I said, we have already taken many steps in the right direction. Now is the time
to take a leap.
It is not time to tell the leaders to realise how important education is - they already
know it - their own children are in good schools. Now it is time to call them to take
action.
We ask the world leaders to unite and make education their top priority.
Fifteen years ago, the world leaders decided on a set of global goals, the Millennium
Development Goals. In the years that have followed, we have seen some progress.
The number of children out of school has been halved. However, the world focused
only on expanding primary education, and progress did not reach everyone.
Next year, in 2015, representatives from around the world will meet at the United
Nations to decide on the next set of goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. This
will set the world's ambition for generations to come. Leaders must seize this
opportunity to guarantee a free, quality primary and secondary education for every
child.
Some will say this is impractical, or too expensive, or too hard. Or even
impossible. But it is time the world thinks bigger.
Dear brothers and sisters, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we
children don't. Why is it that countries which we call "strong" are so powerful in
creating wars but so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but
giving books is so hard? Why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is
so difficult?
As we are living in the modern age, the 21st century and we all believe that nothing is
impossible. We can reach the moon and maybe soon will land on Mars. Then, in this,
the 21st century, we must be determined that our dream of quality education for all
will also come true.
So let us bring equality, justice and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world
leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. It is our duty.
So we must work ... and not wait.
I call upon my fellow children to stand up around the world.
Dear sisters and brothers, let us become the first generation to decide to be the last.
The empty classrooms, the lost childhoods, wasted potential-let these things end with
us.
Let this be the last time that a boy or a girl spends their childhood in a factory.
Let this be the last time that a girl gets forced into early child marriage.
Let this be the last time that an innocent child loses their life in war.
Let this be the last time that a classroom remains empty.
Let this be the last time that a girl is told education is a crime and not a right.
Let this be the last time that a child remains out of school.
Let us begin this ending.
Let this end with us.
And let us build a better future right here, right now.
Thank you.

Malala Day

At Malala Yousafzai’s 2013 speech at the United Nations, Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon pronounced July 12th – Yousafzai's birthday –
'Malala Day' in honor of the young leader’s activism to ensure education for
all children.
“Malala chose to mark her 16th birthday with the world,” said Ban. “No child
should have to die for going to school. Nowhere should teachers fear to
teach or children fear to learn. Together, we can change the picture.”

Early Life and Family

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan, located in the country's

Swat Valley, on July 12, 1997. For the first few years of her life, her
hometown remained a popular tourist spot that was known for its summer
festivals. However the area began to change as the Taliban tried to take
control.

Education Activist

Yousafzai attended a school that her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, had

founded. After the Taliban began attacking girls' schools in Swat, Malala
gave a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, in September 2008. The title of her
talk was, "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?"

In early 2009, Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC about living under the
Taliban's threats to deny her an education. In order to hide her identity, she
used the name Gul Makai. However she was revealed to be the BBC
blogger in December of that year.

With a growing public platform, Yousafzai continued to speak out about her
right, and the right of all women, to an education. Her activism resulted in a
nomination for the International Children's Peace Prize in 2011. That same
year, she was awarded Pakistan's National Youth Peace Prize.

Malala and her family learned that the Taliban had issued a death threat
against her because of her activism. Though Malala was frightened for the
safety of her father — an anti-Taliban activist — she and her family initially
felt that the fundamentalist group would not actually harm a child.

shot by the Taliban

On October 9, 2012, when 15-year-old Malala was riding a bus with friends
on their way home from school, a masked gunman boarded the bus and
demanded to know which girl was Malala. When her friends looked toward
Malala, her location was given away. The gunman fired at her, hitting
Malala in the left side of her head; the bullet then traveled down her neck.
Two other girls were also injured in the attack.

The shooting left Malala in critical condition, so she was flown to a military
hospital in Peshawar. A portion of her skull was removed to treat her
swelling brain. To receive further care, she was transferred to Birmingham,
England.

Once she was in the United Kingdom, Yousafzai was taken out of a
medically induced coma. Though she would require multiple surgeries—
including repair of a facial nerve to fix the paralyzed left side of her face —
she had suffered no major brain damage. In March 2013, she was able to
begin attending school in Birmingham.

The shooting resulted in a massive outpouring of support for Yousafzai,

which continued during her recovery. Unfortunately, the Taliban still
considers Yousafzai a target, although Yousafzai remains a staunch
advocate for the power of education.

Return to Pakistan

On March 29, 2018, Yousafzai returned to Pakistan for the first time since
her brutal 2012 attack. Not long after arriving, she met with Prime Minister
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and delivered an emotional speech at his office.

"In the last five years, I have always dreamed of coming back to my
country," she said, adding, "I never wanted to leave."

During her four-day trip, Yousafzai was expected to visit the Swat Valley,
as well as the site where she nearly met her end at the hands of the
Taliban. Additionally, she was to inaugurate a school for girls being built
with aid from the Malala Fund.

Other Awards

On October 10, 2013, in acknowledgement of her work, the European

Parliament awarded Yousafzai the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

In April 2017, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

appointed Yousafzai as a U.N. Messenger of Peace to promote girls
education. The appointment is the highest honor given by the United
Nations for an initial period of two years.

Full text of her speech:

MALALA's SPEECH (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY) In the name of God, The Most
Beneficent, The Most Merciful. Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon,
Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic Honourable UN envoy for Global
education Mr Gordon Brown, Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters; Today, it is
an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. Being here with such honourable
people is a great moment in my life. 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 a 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 all of the staff of the hospitals
in Pakistan and the UK and the UAE government who have helped me get better and recover
my strength. I fully support Mr Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global Education
First Initiative and the work of the UN Special Envoy Mr Gordon Brown. And I thank them
both 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 human
rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace 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.... one girl among many. I speak – not for myself, but for all
girls and boys. I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that 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 the 9th of 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 then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that
they would change our aims and stop our 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. 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 terrorists group. I am here to speak up for
the right of education of every child. I want education for the sons and the daughters of all the
extremists especially the Taliban. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a
gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. I would not shoot him. This is the compassion
that I have learnt from Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ and Lord Buddha. This
is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi
Jee, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my
mother and father. This is what my soul is telling me, be peaceful and love everyone. Dear
sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the
importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the
north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The
wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of books
and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of
the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students
in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female teachers and polio
workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are blasting schools every
day. Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring
into our society. I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist,
“Why are the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book
he said, “A Talib doesn’t know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a
tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to school.
The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal
benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their
daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says
that it is not only each child’s right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility.
Honourable Secretary General, peace is necessary for education. In many parts of the world
especially Pakistan and Afghanistan; terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to go to their
schools. We are really tired of these wars. Women and children are suffering in many parts of
the world in many ways. In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour.
Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. People in Afghanistan have been affected by
the hurdles of extremism for decades. Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are
forced to get married at early age. Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of
basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women. Dear fellows, today I am
focusing on women’s rights and girls’ education because they are suffering the most. There
was a time when women social 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 rather I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves. 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 favour of peace and prosperity. We call upon the world leaders that
all the peace deals must protect women and children’s rights. A deal that goes against the
dignity of women and their rights is unacceptable. We call upon all governments to ensure
free compulsory education for every child all over the world. We call upon all 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 educational opportunities for girls in
the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant – to reject prejudice based
on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. To ensure freedom and equality for women so that
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 realise
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 for
everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through
our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can
change the world. Because we are 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, injustice and ignorance. We must
not forget that millions of children are out of schools. We must not forget that our sisters and
brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. So let us wage a global struggle against
illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most
powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.
Education is the only solution. Education First.

Yousafzai was also given honorary Canadian citizenship in April 2017. She
is the sixth person and the youngest in the country’s history to receive the
honor.

Full text of her speech:

In the name of God, the most merciful, the most beneficent.

Good afternoon. Bonjour. Assalaam-u-alikum. Pa khair raghlai.

Mr. Prime Minister and Madame Grégoire-Trudeau, Mr. Speaker, members of the
House, members of the Senate, distinguished guests, my parents Ziauddin and Toor
Pekai, people of Canada – thank you so much for the warm welcome to your country.

This is my first trip to Canada, but not my first attempt. On October 22, 2014, my
father and I landed at the Toronto airport, excited for our first visit to your
wonderful country.

Soon we learned that a man had attacked Parliament Hill – killing a Canadian
soldier, wounding others and threatening leaders and civil servants in the building
where I stand today.

Canadian security officials and professionals advised us to reschedule. With sorrow

in our hearts, we headed back to England, promising to return to Canada one day.

The man who attacked Parliament Hill called himself a Muslim – but he did not
share my faith. He did not share the faith of one and a half billion Muslims, living in
peace around the world.

Sorry, the podium is too high. I am shortsighted, so I could not read some of the
words. Now I can read my speech.

Back to my point that the man attacked Parliament Hill called himself a Muslim, but
he did not share my faith. He did not share the faith of one and half billion Muslims
living in peace around the world. He did not share our Islam, a religion of learning,
compassion and mercy.

I am a Muslim and I believe that if you pick up a gun in the name of Islam and kill an
innocent person, you are not Muslim anymore. You and the person who attacked
Parliament Hill and all these terrorists do not share my faith.

Instead, he shared the hatred of the man who attacked the Quebec City mosque in
January, killing six people while they were at prayer.
The same hatred as the man who killed civilians and a police officer in London three
weeks ago.

The same hatred as the men who killed 132 school children in Pakistan's Army Public
School in Peshawar.

The same hatred as the man who shot me and my two school friends.

These men have tried to divide us and destroy our democracies of freedom religion,
our right to go to school, but we and you refuse to be divided. Canadians, wherever
you are born, however you worship, stand together and nothing proves this more
than your commitment to refugees.

Around the world, we have heard about Canada's heroes.

We heard about the members of First United Church, here in Ottawa, who sponsored
newlyweds Amina and Ebrahim Alahmad. A few months later the Alahmads had
their first child – a little girl named Marya. The church decided to raise more money
to bring Ebrahim's brother and his family to Canada – so Marya could grow up with
her cousins.

We heard about Jorge Salazar in Vancouver, who came to Canada as a child refugee,
fleeing violence in Colombia. As a young adult, he's working with today's child
immigrants and refugees, helping them adapt to their new country.

And I am very proud to announce that Farah Mohamed, a refugee who fled Uganda
and came to Canada as a child, is Malala Fund's new CEO. A Canadian will now lead
the fight for girls' education around the world.

Many people from my own country of Pakistan have found a promised land in
Canada – from Maria Toorpakai Wazir to my relatives here today.

Like the refugees in Canada, I have seen fear and experienced times when I didn't
know if I was safe or not. I remember how my Mom would put a ladder at the back of
our house so that if anything happened we could escape.

I felt fear when I went to school, thinking that someone would stop me and harm me.
I would hide my books under my scarf.

The sound of bombs would wake me up at night. Every morning I would hear the
news that more innocent people had been killed. I saw men with big guns in
the street.

There is more peace now in my home of Swat Valley, Pakistan, but families like mine
– from Palestine to Venezuela, Somalia to Myanmar, Iraq to Congo – are forced to
flee their homes because of violence.

Your motto and your stand "welcome to Canada" is more than a headline or a
hashtag. It is the spirit of humanity that every single one of us would yearn for if our
family was in crisis. I pray that you continue to open your homes and your hearts to
the world's most defenceless children and families, and I hope your neighbours will
follow your example.

I am humbled to accept honorary citizenship of your country. While I will always be a

proud Pashtun and a proud citizen of Pakistan, I am grateful to be an honorary
member of your nation of heroes, though I still require a visa, but that is
another discussion.

I was also so happy to meet Prime Minister Trudeau this morning. I am amazed by
his embrace of refugees, his commitment to appointing Canada's first gender-
balanced cabinet and his dedication to keeping women and girls at the centre of your
development strategy.

We have heard so much about Prime Minister Trudeau – but one thing has surprised
me: people are always talking about how young he is.

They say that he is the second youngest prime minister in Canada in Canadian
history. He does yoga. He has tattoos, and a large mole.

While I was coming here, everyone was telling me shake the Prime Minister's hand
and let them know how he looks in reality. People are just so excited about my
meeting Prime Minister Trudeau. I do not think anyone cared about the Canadian
honorary citizenship.

While it may be true that Prime Minister Trudeau is young and he is a young head of
government, I would like to tell something to the children of Canada. You do not
have to be as old as the very young Prime Minister Trudeau to be a leader.

I am still on page 7. There is a lot left. If you do a standing ovation again, you are
going to get tired. Just to let you know there is a lot left.

I want to share my story. I want to tell the children of Canada that when I was little, I
used to wait to be an adult to lead, but I have learned that even a child's voice can be
heard across the world.

To the young women of Canada, I want to say: step forward, raise your voices, and
the next time I visit I hope to see more of you filling these seats.

To the men of Canada, be proud feminists and help women get equal opportunities
to men.

To the leaders of Canada today in this room, though you may have different politics
and policies and priorities, I know each one of you is trying to respond to some of our
world's most pressing problems.

I have travelled the world and met many people in many countries. I have first-hand
experience and I have seen many problems that we are facing today—war, economic
instability, climate change, and health crises—and I can tell you that the answer is
girls. Secondary education can transform communities, countries, and our world.
Here is what the statistics say. I am saying it for those who still do not accept
education as important—there are some—but I hope they will hear this:

 If all girls went to school for 12 years, low- and middle-income countries
would add $92 billion per year to their economies.
 Educated girls are less likely to marry young and contract HIV, and more
likely to have healthy and educated children.
 The Brookings Institution called secondary education for girls as the most
cost-effective and best investment against climate change.
 When a country gives all its children secondary education, it cuts its risk of
war in half.

Education is vital for the security of the world because extremism grows alongside
inequality in places where people feel they have no opportunity, no voice, no hope.

When women are educated, there are more jobs for everyone. When mothers can
keep their children alive and send them to school, there is hope but around the
world, 130 million girls are out of school today. They may not have read the studies
and they may not know the statistics, but they understand that education is the only
path to a brighter future and they are fighting to go to school.

Dear Canada, I am asking you to lead once again:

 First, make girls’ education a central theme of your G7 Presidency next year.
 Second, use your influence to fill the global education funding gap to raise
billions of dollars and save lives, when you hosted the global fund’s
replenishment in Montreal last year. Show the same leadership for education.
 Host the upcoming replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education,
bring all leaders together and raise new funding for girls to go to school. If
Canada leads, I know the world will follow.
 Finally, prioritize 12 years of school for refugees. Today only a quarter of
refugee children can get secondary education. We should not ask children who
flee their homes to also give up their dreams. We must recognize that young
refugees are future leaders on whom we all depend for peace.

The world needs leadership. The world needs leadership based on serving humanity,
not based on how many weapons you have. Canada can take that lead.

Our world has many problems, but we do not need to look far for the solution. We
already have one.

She is living in a refugee camp in Jordan. She is walking five kilometres to school in
Guatemala. She is sewing footballs to pay enrollment fees in India. She is every one
of the girls out of school around the world today.

We know what to do, but we must look inside ourselves for the will to keep our
promises.
Dear sisters and brothers, we have a responsibility to improve the world. When
future generations read about us in their books or on their iPads, or whatever the
next innovation will be, I do not want them to be shocked that 130 million girls could
not go to school and we did nothing. I do not want them to be shocked that we did
not stand up for child refugees as millions of families fled their homes. I do not want
us to be known for failing them.

Let the future generations say we were the ones who stood up. Let them say we were
the first to live in a world where all girls could learn and lead without fear. Let us be
the ones who bring the change we want to see.

Thank you so much for listening.

Documentary

In October 2015, a documentary about Yousafzai's life was released. HE

NAMED ME MALALA, directed by Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient
Truth, Waiting for Superman), gives viewers an intimate look into the life of
Malala, her family, and her commitment to supporting education for girls
around the world.

2018
Now I am studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford.

And every day I fight to ensure all girls receive 12 years of free, safe, quality education.

I travel to many countries to meet girls fighting poverty, wars, child marriage and gender
discrimination to go to school. Malala Fund is working so that their stories, like mine, can be
heard around the world.

We invest in developing country educators and activists, like my father, through Malala
Fund’s Gulmakai Network. And we hold leaders accountable for their promises to girls.

With more than 130 million girls out of school today, there is more work to be done. I hope
you will join my fight for education and equality. Together, we can create a world where all
girls can learn and lead.