MALALA YOUSUFZAI-Nobel Laureate

October 11, 2020

Malala Yousafzai is till date the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.

She has been recognized as the human rights advocate particularly for the education of women and children in Swat, northwest Pakistan where the Taliban at that times, had banned girls from attending school. 

 The attempt on her life by Taliban ignited a spark on international outburst of support for Yousafzai. 

In 2011 she was the nominee for International Children’s Peace Prize. She won National Youth Peace Prize in 2012. She received Sitara-e-Shujaat which is the third-highest civilian bravery award of Pakistan in 2012. She was amongst the Top 100 Global Thinker on Foreign Policy 2012 and shortlisted for the Person of the Year by Time Magazine in the same year. In 2012 her heroic efforts made her recipient of Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize, following with Sakharov Prize 2013

On January 2013 Deutsche Welle reported that Yousafzai has become the most famous teenager in the world.

 In 2014 at age 17, Yousafzai was proclaimed as the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against the suppression of children and for the right of all children to education. In Birmingham she co-founded the Malala Fund. She also co-authored the book “I Am Malala”, which instantly became an international bestseller.  She was also the subject of Oscar’s short documentary in 2015. Time Magazine featured her as one of the most influential people globally throughout the years 2013-2015. Yousafzai was awarded honorary Canadian Citizenship in 2017. She became the youngest person to address the House of Commons of Canada. 

Her lists of honorary include

  • Simone de Beauvoir Prize 2013
  • Fred and Anne Jarvis Award 2013
  • Tipperary International Peace Award 2012
  • Clinton Global Citizen Award 2013
  •  Anna Politkovskaya Award 2013
  • Pride of Britain 2013
  • In the following year Glamour magazine honored Yousafzai as Woman of the Year 2013
  • Asteroid 316201 Malala was named in her honor
  • Harper Bazaar inducted Yousafzai in the list of 150 of the most influential female leaders in UK.