1 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you. 2 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. 3 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, 4 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic 5 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown, 6 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters, 7 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Today, it is an honour for me to be speaking again after a long time. 8 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Being here with such honourable people is a great moment in my life. 9 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And it is honor for me today I wearing a shawl of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. 10 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't know where to begin my speech. 11 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't know what people would be expecting me to say. 12 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But first of all, 13 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thank you to God for whom we all are equal 14 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. 15 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. 16 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. 17 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. 18 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me. 19 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would like to thank my nurses, doctors 20 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the staff of the hospitals in Pakistan 21 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the UK and the UAE government 22 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who have helped me to get better and recover my strength. 23 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I fully support Mr. Ban Ki-moon the Secretary-General in his Global Education 24 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 First Initiative and the work of the UN Special Envoy 25 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Mr. Gordon Brown. 26 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic. 27 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I thank all of them for the leadership they continue to give. 28 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They continue to inspire all of us to action. 29 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear brothers and sisters, 30 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Do remember one thing. 31 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Malala day is not my day. 32 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Today is the day of every woman, 33 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights. 34 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There are hundreds of human rights activists 35 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and social workers who are not only speaking for their rights, 36 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but who are struggling to achieve their goals of peace, education, and equality. 37 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. 38 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm just one of them. 39 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So here I stand 40 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So here I stand one girl among many. 41 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I speak, not for myself, but for those without voice can be heard. 42 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Those who have fought for their rights. 43 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Their right to live in peace. 44 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Their right to be treated with dignity. 45 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Their right to equality of opportunity. 46 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Their right to be educated. 47 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, 48 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. 49 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They shot my friends, too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. 50 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But they failed. 51 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Out of that silence came, thousands of voices. 52 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions. 53 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But, nothing changed in my life except this. 54 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Weakness, fear, 55 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. 56 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am the same Malala. 57 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. 58 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and my dreams are the same. 59 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear sisters and brothers, 60 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm not against anyone. 61 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban, or any other terrorists group. 62 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am here to speak up for the right of education of every child. 63 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I want education for the sons and the daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorist extremists. 64 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I do not even hate the Taliban who shot me. 65 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. 66 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would not shoot him. 67 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad, the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ, and Lord Buddha. 68 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, 69 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 70 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi Jee, Bacha Khan, and Mother Teresa. 71 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my father and from my mother. 72 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This is what my soul is telling me, be peaceful and love everyone. 73 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear sisters and brothers, 74 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. 75 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. 76 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, 77 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. 78 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword" was true. 79 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The extremists were and are afraid of books and pens. 80 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The power of education frightens them. 81 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They are afraid of women. 82 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The power of the voice of women frightens them. 83 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And that is why they killed 14 innocent students in the recent attack in Quetta. 84 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And that is why they killed female teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa. 85 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That is why they are blasting schools every day. 86 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society. 87 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, 88 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 “Why are the Taliban against education?" He answered very simply. 89 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 By pointing to his book he said, “A Talib doesn't know what is written inside this book." 90 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who send girls to the hell just because of going to school. 91 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. 92 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Pakistan is a peace-loving democratic country. 93 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. 94 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. 95 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Islam says that it is not only each child's right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility. 96 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Honourable Secretary General, 97 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 peace is necessary for education. 98 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In many parts of the world especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, terrorism, wars and conflicts stop children to go to their schools. 99 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We are really tired of these wars. 100 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Women and children are suffering in many ways, many parts of the world. 101 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labour. 102 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Many schools have been destroyed in Nigeria. 103 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 People in Afghanistan have been affected by the hurdles of extremism for decades. 104 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Young girls have to do domestic child labour and are forced to get married at early age. 105 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights 106 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are the main problems faced by both men and women. 107 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear fellows, today I am focusing on women's rights and girls' education 108 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they are suffering the most. 109 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights. 110 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This time, we will do it by ourselves. 111 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am not telling men to step away from speaking for women's rights. 112 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Rather, I am focusing on women to be independent to fight for themselves. 113 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear sisters and brothers, now it's time to speak up. 114 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity. 115 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon the world leaders that all the peace deals must protect women's and children's rights. 116 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 A deal that goes against the rights of women is unacceptable. 117 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education all over the world for every child. 118 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, 119 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to protect children from brutality and harm. 120 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world. 121 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon all the communities to be tolerant 122 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to reject prejudice based on cast, creed, sect, religion or gender. 123 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 To ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. 124 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. 125 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave. 126 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential. 127 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child's bright future. 128 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education. 129 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights and we will bring change through our voice. 130 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. 131 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Our words can change the whole world. 132 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because we are all together, united for the cause of education. 133 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge 134 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness. 135 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, 136 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 injustice and ignorance. 137 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We must not forget that millions of children are out of the schools. 138 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright peaceful future. 139 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. 140 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Let us pick up our books and pens. 141 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They are our most powerful weapons. 142 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. 143 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Education is the only solution. 144 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Education First. 145 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Thank you.