Bismillah hir rahman ir rahim. [In the name of God.]
In the name of God,
the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Honorable UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremić,
Honorable UN Envoy for Global Education Mr. Gordon Brown,
Respected elders, and my dear brothers and sisters;
As-Salaam-Alaikum [Peace be unto you].
Today, it is an honor for me
to be speaking again
after a long time.
Being here with such honorable people
is a great moment in my life
and it's an honor for me
that today I'm wearing a shawl
of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.
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 the staff of the hospitals
in Pakistan and the UK,
and the UAE government
who have helped me
to 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 the Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremić.
I thank all of them for their leadership
that 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 their rights
but who are struggling
to achieve their goal
of peace, education, and equality.
Thousands of people have been killed
by the terrorists
and millions have been injured.
I'm just one of them.
So here I stand,
so here I stand,
one girl among many.
I speak, not for myself,
but for those without 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 bullet would silence us.
But they failed.
And out of that silence came
thousands of voices.
The terrorists thought
that they would change my aims
and stop my ambitions.
But nothing changed in my life except this:
Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died.
Strength, power, and courage was born.
[Applause]
I am the same Malala.
My ambitions are the same.
My hopes are the same.
And 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 terrorist group.
I'm here to speak up
for the right of education of every child.
[Applause]
I want education for the sons and daughters
of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists.
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 learned
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.
[Applause]
This is the philosophy of non-violence
that I have learned from Gandhi ji,
Bacha Khan, and Mother Teresa.
And this is the forgiveness
that I have learned
from my father and from my mother. And...
[Applause]
this is what my soul is telling me.
Be peaceful and love everyone.
Dear sisters and brothers,
we realize the importance of light
when we see darkness.
We realize the importance of our voice
when we are silenced.
In the same way,
when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan,
we realized the importance of pens and books
when we saw the guns.
The wise saying,
"The pen is mightier than [the] sword" was true.
The extremists were and they are afraid of books and pens.
The power of education,
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 students
in the recent attack in Quetta.
And that is why they killed 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 equality that we will bring into our society.
And 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.
[Applause]
Pakistan is a peace-loving, democratic country.
Pashtuns want education
for their daughters and sons.
And Islam is a religion
of peace, humanity, and brotherhood.
Islam says, "It's not only
each child's right to get education—
rather, it's their duty and responsibility."
Honorable 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 ways
in many parts of the world.
In India,
innocent and poor children
are victims of child labor.
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 labor
and are forced to get married at early age.
Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism,
and the deprivation of basic rights
are the main problem 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.
[Applause]
I'm not telling men to step away
from speaking for women's rights.
Rather, I'm focusing on women
to be independent to fight for themselves.
So, 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 favor 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 rights of women
is unacceptable.
[Applause]
We call upon all governments
to ensure free, compulsory education
all over the world for every child.
[Applause]
We call upon all the 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 the communities
to be tolerant –
to reject prejudice based on
caste, creed, sect,
color, 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 realize 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.
No one can stop us.
We will speak up for our rights
and we will bring change through our voices.
We believe
in the power and the strength of our words.
Our words can change the whole 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 their schools.
We must not forget
that our sisters and brothers
are waiting for a bright, peaceful future.
So, let us wage,
so, let us wage a global struggle
against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism.
Let us pick up,
let us pick up our books and our pens.
They are our most powerful weapons.
One child,
one teacher,
one book,
and one pen
can change the world.
Education is the only solution.
Education first.
Thank you.
[Applause]