The text of Malala Yousafzais speech at the United Nations

In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, es!ected "resident General #ssembly $u% &eremic Honourable UN en'oy for Global education Mr Gordon Bro(n, es!ected elders and my dear brothers and sisters) Today, it is an honour for me to be s!ea%in* a*ain after a lon* time. Bein* here (ith such honourable !eo!le is a *reat moment in my life. I don+t %no( (here to be*in my s!eech. I don+t %no( (hat !eo!le (ould be e,!ectin* me to say. But first of all, than% you to God for (hom (e all are e-ual and than% you to e'ery !erson (ho has !rayed for my fast reco'ery and a ne( life. I cannot belie'e ho( much lo'e !eo!le ha'e sho(n me. I ha'e recei'ed thousands of *ood (ish cards and *ifts from all o'er the (orld. Than% you to all of them. Than% you to the children (hose innocent (ords encoura*ed me. Than% you to my elders (hose !rayers stren*thened me. I (ould li%e to than% my nurses, doctors and all of the staff of the hos!itals in "a%istan and the UK and the U#. *o'ernment (ho ha'e hel!ed me *et better and reco'er my stren*th. I fully su!!ort Mr Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global .ducation /irst Initiati'e and the (or% of the UN S!ecial .n'oy Mr Gordon Bro(n. #nd I than% them both for the leadershi! they continue to *i'e. They continue to ins!ire all of us to action. 0ear brothers and sisters, do remember one thin*. Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of e'ery (oman, e'ery boy and e'ery *irl (ho ha'e raised their 'oice for their ri*hts. There are hundreds of Human ri*hts acti'ists and social (or%ers (ho are not only s!ea%in* for human ri*hts, but (ho are stru**lin* to achie'e their *oals of education, !eace and e-uality. Thousands of !eo!le ha'e been %illed by the terrorists and millions ha'e been in1ured. I am 1ust one of them. So here I stand... one *irl amon* many.

I s!ea% 2 not for myself, but for all *irls and boys. I raise u! my 'oice 2 not so that I can shout, but so that those (ithout a 'oice can be heard. Those (ho ha'e fou*ht for their ri*hts3

Their ri*ht to li'e in !eace. Their ri*ht to be treated (ith di*nity. Their ri*ht to e-uality of o!!ortunity. Their ri*ht to be educated. 0ear /riends, on the 4th of 5ctober 6786, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thou*ht that the bullets (ould silence us. But they failed. #nd then, out of that silence came, thousands of 'oices. The terrorists thou*ht that they (ould chan*e our aims and sto! our ambitions but nothin* chan*ed in my life e,ce!t this3 9ea%ness, fear and ho!elessness died. Stren*th, !o(er and coura*e (as born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My ho!es are the same. My dreams are the same. 0ear sisters and brothers, I am not a*ainst anyone. Neither am I here to s!ea% in terms of !ersonal re'en*e a*ainst the Taliban or any other terrorists *rou!. I am here to s!ea% u! for the ri*ht of education of e'ery child. I (ant education for the sons and the dau*hters of all the e,tremists es!ecially the Taliban. I do not e'en hate the Talib (ho shot me. .'en if there is a *un in my hand and he stands in front of me. I (ould not shoot him. This is the com!assion that I ha'e learnt from Muhammad-the !ro!het of mercy, &esus christ and :ord Buddha. This is the le*acy of chan*e that I ha'e inherited from Martin :uther Kin*, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad #li &innah. This is the !hiloso!hy of non-'iolence that I ha'e learnt from Gandhi &ee, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. #nd this is the for*i'eness that I ha'e learnt from my mother and father. This is (hat my soul is tellin* me, be !eaceful and lo'e e'eryone. 0ear sisters and brothers, (e realise the im!ortance of li*ht (hen (e see dar%ness. 9e realise the im!ortance of our 'oice (hen (e are silenced. In the same (ay, (hen (e (ere in S(at, the north of "a%istan, (e realised the im!ortance of !ens and boo%s (hen (e sa( the *uns. The (ise sayin*, ;The !en is mi*htier than s(ord< (as true. The e,tremists are afraid of boo%s and !ens. The !o(er of education fri*htens them. They are afraid of (omen. The !o(er of the 'oice of (omen fri*htens them. #nd that is (hy they %illed 8= innocent medical students in the recent attac% in >uetta. #nd that is (hy they %illed many female teachers and !olio (or%ers in Khyber "u%htoon Kh(a and /#T#. That is (hy they are blastin* schools e'ery day. Because they (ere and they are afraid of chan*e, afraid of the e-uality that (e (ill brin* into our society. I remember that there (as a boy in our school (ho (as as%ed by a 1ournalist, ;9hy are the Taliban a*ainst education?< He ans(ered 'ery sim!ly. By !ointin* to his boo% he

said, ;# Talib doesn+t %no( (hat is (ritten inside this boo%.< They thin% that God is a tiny, little conser'ati'e bein* (ho (ould send *irls to the hell 1ust because of *oin* to school. The terrorists are misusin* the name of Islam and "ashtun society for their o(n !ersonal benefits. "a%istan is !eace-lo'in* democratic country. "ashtuns (ant education for their dau*hters and sons. #nd Islam is a reli*ion of !eace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child+s ri*ht to *et education, rather it is their duty and res!onsibility. Honourable Secretary General, !eace is necessary for education. In many !arts of the (orld es!ecially "a%istan and #f*hanistan) terrorism, (ars and conflicts sto! children to *o to their schools. 9e are really tired of these (ars. 9omen and children are sufferin* in many !arts of the (orld in many (ays. In India, innocent and !oor children are 'ictims of child labour. Many schools ha'e been destroyed in Ni*eria. "eo!le in #f*hanistan ha'e been affected by the hurdles of e,tremism for decades. @oun* *irls ha'e to do domestic child labour and are forced to *et married at early a*e. "o'erty, i*norance, in1ustice, racism and the de!ri'ation of basic ri*hts are the main !roblems faced by both men and (omen. 0ear fello(s, today I am focusin* on (omen+s ri*hts and *irls+ education because they are sufferin* the most. There (as a time (hen (omen social acti'ists as%ed men to stand u! for their ri*hts. But, this time, (e (ill do it by oursel'es. I am not tellin* men to ste! a(ay from s!ea%in* for (omen+s ri*hts rather I am focusin* on (omen to be inde!endent to fi*ht for themsel'es. 0ear sisters and brothers, no( it+s time to s!ea% u!. So today, (e call u!on the (orld leaders to chan*e their strate*ic !olicies in fa'our of !eace and !ros!erity. 9e call u!on the (orld leaders that all the !eace deals must !rotect (omen and children+s ri*hts. # deal that *oes a*ainst the di*nity of (omen and their ri*hts is unacce!table. 9e call u!on all *o'ernments to ensure free com!ulsory education for e'ery child all o'er the (orld. 9e call u!on all *o'ernments to fi*ht a*ainst terrorism and 'iolence, to !rotect children from brutality and harm. 9e call u!on the de'elo!ed nations to su!!ort the e,!ansion of educational o!!ortunities for *irls in the de'elo!in* (orld. 9e call u!on all communities to be tolerant 2 to re1ect !re1udice based on cast, creed, sect, reli*ion or *ender. To ensure freedom and e-uality for (omen so that they can flourish. 9e cannot all succeed (hen half of us are held bac%.

9e call u!on our sisters around the (orld to be bra'e 2 to embrace the stren*th (ithin themsel'es and realise their full !otential. 0ear brothers and sisters, (e (ant schools and education for e'ery child+s bri*ht future. 9e (ill continue our 1ourney to our destination of !eace and education for e'eryone. No one can sto! us. 9e (ill s!ea% for our ri*hts and (e (ill brin* chan*e throu*h our 'oice. 9e must belie'e in the !o(er and the stren*th of our (ords. 5ur (ords can chan*e the (orld. Because (e are all to*ether, united for the cause of education. #nd if (e (ant to achie'e our *oal, then let us em!o(er oursel'es (ith the (ea!on of %no(led*e and let us shield oursel'es (ith unity and to*etherness. 0ear brothers and sisters, (e must not for*et that millions of !eo!le are sufferin* from !o'erty, in1ustice and i*norance. 9e must not for*et that millions of children are out of schools. 9e must not for*et that our sisters and brothers are (aitin* for a bri*ht !eaceful future. So let us (a*e a *lobal stru**le a*ainst illiteracy, !o'erty and terrorism and let us !ic% u! our boo%s and !ens. They are our most !o(erful (ea!ons. 5ne child, one teacher, one !en and one boo% can chan*e the (orld. .ducation is the only solution. .ducation /irst.