April 8 (UPI) — The United Nations announced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was selected to be the U.N.’s Messenger of Peace to assist in spreading information about the organization’s ideals and activities.
Yousafzai, 19, will be the youngest person to ever hold the United Nation’s title that has been also held by notables who include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jane Goodall and Yo-Yo Ma. Yousafzai will be installed in the position on Monday in a ceremony at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.
“Even in the face of grave danger, Malala Yousafzai has shown an unwavering commitment to the rights of women, girls and all people,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Her courageous activism for girls’ education has already energized so many people around the world. Now as our youngest-ever U.N. Messenger of Peace, Malala can do even more to help create a more just and peaceful world.”
Yousafzai was shot on Oct. 9, 2012, for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education. She became an advocate for girls’ education rights and established the Malala Fund with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.
