UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai as a UN Messenger of Peace to promote girls education, Radio Pakistan reported.
A ceremony to this effect was held at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
Speaking on the occasion, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres lauded her unwavering commitment to peace and resolve to foster a better world.
“You are not only a hero, but you are a very committed and generous person,” Mr Guterres told her.
At 19, Yousafzai is the youngest Messenger of Peace, the highest honor given by the United Nations for an initial period of two years.
She was also the youngest person to receive the Nobel peace prize in 2014 when she was 17.
Malala came to prominence when a Taliban attacker 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 bar women from getting 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.”
