Malala calls for united efforts for education rights

EDINBURGH (Xinhua) - Education campaigner Malala Yousafzai on Saturday called for united efforts for education rights at the first public meeting of Global Citizenship commission held at the University of Edinburgh.

Malala, 16, is an activist advocating girls' education in northwest Pakistan and a survivor of an assassination attempt by the Taliban last year.

She was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen on her way home from the school on Oct. 9, 2012, in her home town of Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. She survived the assassination and recovered from her wounds later at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham in Britain.

Her story has sparked international outpouring of support, though Taliban threatened to kill her and her father.

"We are not afraid. People must be united, they must work together," Malala told the 1,000-strong audience, insisting there should be no stop of her education campaign even after the attack.

Malala, who met the British Queen at Buckingham Palace in London on Friday and spoke about the importance of education, was given an honorary master's degree by the University of Edinburgh.

Malala, settling in Birmingham with her family, also said her studies are going well and expected to go to a university.

For his part, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who leads the Global Citizenship Commission and also serves as UN Special Envoy for Global Education, emphasized the international community's responsibilities to protect individual rights.

Supported by the Carnegie UK Trust and in partnership with New York University, the Global Citizenship Commission aims to update the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as it brings together global leaders in the field of ethics and citizenship.