“I fully support U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his Global Education First Initiative and the work of U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown and the respectful president of the U.N. General Assembly Vuk Jeremic. I thank them for the leadership they continue to give.”

Pakistani education activist and producer

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education activist and producer of film and television, known for advocating for the rights of women and children to attend school. Born in the Swat district, she became an international figure for her campaign against restrictions on girls’ education. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, winning the Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17. She is also the second Pakistani and the only Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize. Her work has grown into a wider movement, and she has been described as Pakistan’s most prominent citizen.