UN Secretary-General and Malala Yousafzai join #showyourselfie campaign

UNITED NATIONS, New York – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and global girls’ rights icon Malala Yousafzai are the latest people to lend their support to UNFPA and the Global Poverty Project’s #showyourselfie campaign. Mr. Ban and Malala took their selfie with Amy Robach, an American news anchor, at an event held today at the United Nations to mark the 500-day countdown until the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals.

At the event, which was attended by over 500 young people, the Secretary-General underscored one of the guiding principles behind the #showyourselfie campaign: the crucial importance of including young people in processes that will decide the future of development.

“The ideas and inspiration of young people have been especially critical in this effort, and their role must grow even more,” he said.

Malala complemented this message by highlighting the value of educating girls. “The strength of a woman does not depend on her physical strength but rather on her skills and education,” she said.

“Providing quality education – that is how developing countries will succeed,” she added.

#showyourselfie takes off

In less than a week since its launch on International Youth Day, on 12 August, the #showyourselfie campaign has collected more than 3,000 selfies from people from around the world who believe the rights and needs of young people must be at the heart of future development.

Other high-profile people who have shown their selfies in support of the campaign include actress Dianna Agron, DJ and producer Tiesto, American music and fashion mogul Russell Simmons, and the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi.

The campaign seeks to mobilize millions of young people and their supporters to tell decision-makers across the world that young people must be at the centre of the framework that will replace the Millennium Development Goals after 2015.

People around the world are encouraged to take and submit a selfie via Twitter, Instagram or the website www.showyourselfie.org. The selfies represent support, like signatures on a petition. They will be handed over to Member States at the UN General Assembly in September 2014 and 2015 to remind them that the time to invest in young people is now.

For more information about the campaign, please visit www.showyourselfie.org.