LONDON: Malala Yousafzai will make her first public speech on her 16th birthday at the United Nations on July 12 in New York, the office of Britain’s former Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Friday.
The 15-year-old Malala, the Pakistani teenage girl shot by the Taliban for promoting girls’ education on October 9 last year, has become a global symbol of the campaign for girls’ right to an education and has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
“Malala is a true inspiration and a shining beacon for girls’ education around the world,” said Brown.
“I am full of admiration for her courage and determination in the journey she is on, and am sure that she can become a real leader in the campaign for a school place for every girl — and every boy.”
Some 4,000 young people are expected to be in attendance for Malala’s debut speech.
DND