Malala Yousafzai Has Been Named The Youngest Ever UN Messenger Of Peace

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by Elizabeth Bennett |
Published on

She may just be 19 years old but Malala Yousafzai has achieved much more than most of will in a lifetime.

At 11 years old she starting blogging for the BBC about life under the Taliban regime in Pakistan, and the following year she was shot and nearly killed for her work in educational activism.

She was the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17, and now she has been made the youngest ever UN Messenger of Peace.

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At a ceremony in New York on Monday, the inspirational teenage accepted the prestigious accolade from United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.

‘You are not only a hero, but you are a very committed and generous person, and the person that has this fantastic quality. [You are a] symbol of perhaps the most important thing in the world, education for all,’ Guterres said.

‘(Bringing change) starts with us and it should start now. If you want to see your future bright, you have to start working now (and) not wait for anyone else,’ Yousafzai told the crowd.

It is a week of firsts for Yousafzai who will later this week become the youngest person to address Canada's parliament, and just the sixth person ever to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.

Yousafzai, who is currently studying for her A-levels, is planning to study PPE at Oxford next year.

READ MORE: One Year Since #BringBackOurGirls, Malala Writes An Open Letter To The Abducted School Girls

READ MORE: Watch Emma Watson Interview Malala Yousafzai About Feminism

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