Malala Yousafzai Addresses U.N. Youth Assembly Friday July 12,2013

The Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by the Taliban in Oct 2012 has addressed the United Nations on her 16th birthday on Friday July 12,2013 vowing not to be silenced by terrorists

Nine months after a gunman shot her on a bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley for demanding education for girls, Malala Yousafzai received multiple standing ovations at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York.

She addressed nearly 1,000 students from around the world and her speech was immediately hailed for its power

Ms Yousafzai showed the attack on her had done nothing to dim her passion for girls' education.

"Let us pick up our books and pens, they are our most powerful weapons," she said.
"One child, one teacher ... can change the world."

Wearing a pink headscarf and a shawl belonging to the assassinated Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, Ms Yousafzai insisted she did not want "personal revenge" against the man who shot her.
"I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists," she said.
"Education is the only solution.
"They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed and out of that silence came thousands of voices.
"The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died.
"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 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."

Ms Yousafzai presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a petition signed by 4 million people in support of 57 million children around the world who are not able to go to school

It demanded that world leaders fund new teachers, schools and books and end child labor, marriage and trafficking.
Ban Ki-moon said the UN was committed to a target of getting all children in school by the end of 2015

Since the incident of the attack against her, former U.K. Prime Minister and current U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a UN petition in Ms. Yousafzai’s name, titled “I am Malala” and calling for children worldwide be attending school by the end of 2015. Mr. Ban has dubbed July 12 as Malala Day