GO BIRDS 🦅

Congratulations @kirstyjmcneill on your appointment at @FCDOGovUK — we're looking forward to seeing you at #UNGA81. @GPforEducation's Multiply Possibility event comes at a critical moment. It's a chance for the #UK to show what real partnership with developing countries looks like: investing in education systems that reach every child and build fairer, more stable societies. For girls, education is the foundation of everything else. It's how they claim their rights, how they stay safe from violence and abuse, and how they shape their own futures. #FundEducation and #MultiplyPossibility

We will hold the Taliban accountable for their heinous crimes. We will have justice for Afghan women and girls. We will end gender apartheid. To learn more, follow @EGACampaign and @MalalaFund

Happy Independence Day! 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰

Defending women and children is not a crime. Several weeks ago, Taliban agents raided the offices of the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation in Kabul and detained six staff members. Their families do not know where they are or if they are safe. Their work is not a threat — it is an essential lifeline for Afghan women and girls. I join Amnesty International, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan and others in calling for their immediate, safe and unconditional release. They must be allowed to come home. reuters.com/world/asia-pacif…

It was my honor to meet President Ramaphosa today, and I am grateful for his empathy and genuine engagement with Afghan women who are leading the call to recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. As Afghanistan approaches five years under Taliban rule with its brutal restrictions on women's rights and ban on girls' education, South Africa's leadership is vital to securing justice and ensuring that gender apartheid has no place anywhere in the world.

I’m heartbroken about the suicide attack in my hometown of Swat Valley, Pakistan, which killed more than a dozen police officers and people. I can’t imagine the pain of the victims’ families and extend my deepest condolences to them. The attack happened while civilians were gathered to protest the increase in militancy and terrorism. As the number of terrorist attacks, particularly in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, has increased, I urge the government and security officials to prioritise safety and protection. Girls from Swat Valley have yearned for normalcy and peace for many years, and I pray the people of Swat are never again subjected to life under the Taliban.

It’s a special feeling to celebrate your birthday in the place you were born, especially when you’ve been away from home for so long. I am grateful to Pakistan’s government and security officers for giving me that opportunity last week. I met educators and activists who are breaking down the barriers between children and their education. Artists who imagine the future and remind us that our best days are ahead. Girls determined to pursue their dreams, from the football pitch to the classroom. My heart is full of gratitude for everyone who made this trip possible, but even more so for the people and organisations who are working to turn every girl’s right to learn into her reality.

Today, 122MILLION girls worldwide are out of school. . . 122 MILLION voices, silenced. 122 MILLION leaders we haven't met. This #MalalaDay2026, we celebrate those working relentlessly to ensure that every girl is educated. So that every girl may be FREE. The world SHE builds starts with all of US. Support girls' education at Malala.org/donate/MalalaDay 🤍 @MalalaFund @Malala

“Education for girls is the front door to the house of life. When this door is open, all other opportunities are unlocked.” — our co-founder @ZiauddinY In many communities, whether a girl goes to school, stays in school or returns after leaving is often shaped by the men around her. That is why engaging men and boys matters. While it should never take the focus away from girls, creating space for men to honestly reflect can help shift the norms and decisions that shape girls’ lives. Our new research looks at how this work is happening in northern Nigeria, and how it can be strengthened. Read the key findings: mala.la/maleallyship

Britain's King Charles met members of Afghanistan's refugee women's cricket team as the club began a summer tour of England

"The Commission concluded that the Israeli government deliberately targeted Palestinian children and that these acts form part of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is not only destroying lives — it is destroying the conditions in which children can learn, recover and imagine a future. The delivery of humanitarian aid must be immediate, unrestricted and commensurate with the scale of destruction — not as a negotiating position, but as a legal obligation that is long overdue." –– @NabilaAguele, CEO, Malala Fund

Mahrang Baloch should not be in prison. Women and girls in Balochistan have suffered for years as their male family members were routinely arrested and forcibly disappeared. They deserve the life that everyone deserves: daughters who can go to school, fathers who come home at night. I stand with my sisters in Pakistan who face harassment and abuse, who are imprisoned for speaking out. This is not new — throughout our history women like Asma Jahangir, Farida Shaheed, Khawar Mumtaz, Hina Jilani and even Fatima Jinnah suffered persecution for standing up. Today, it is Imaan Mazari and Mahrang Baloch. Rather than addressing the horror of forced disappearances, the anti-terrorism court is targeting those who speak out against the oppression. Mahrang and her fellow activists must be released.

"We are deeply disturbed about the attack on a government girls' primary school in South Waziristan. Schools must be sanctuaries, not targets. Every girl has the right to an education without fear. We stand with the students, teachers and families affected." @MalalaFundPK @Malala

The EU has invited Taliban officials to Brussels to discuss a migration deal — and today I am shaken and deeply disturbed by this. This is the same Taliban that banned girls from secondary schools and forced them into marriage. The same Taliban that, earlier this month, arrested dozens of women in Herat for how they were dressed. The same Taliban that detains, beats and executes women who dare to speak out or break their rules. Through its system of gender apartheid, the Taliban have erased women and girls from public life. Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world. Any engagement with the Taliban must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls.

When I visit home and see all my favourite foods prepared for breakfast, I remember that, in so many ways big and small, my dad is always thinking of me. Happy Father’s Day to the kindest, sweetest and most loving man. You stood like a shield for me against all hurdles. You made me feel valued and helped me amplify my voice and set my own pathway. You’re always there for me, Khushal and Atal. I’m inspired by you not just because you’re a wonderful dad, but also because you’re an incredible husband, brother, son and friend to everyone — even strangers, animals and nature. Feeling truly lucky and grateful to be your daughter. Happy Father’s Day 💙

“We left everything to play cricket and I hope people watching and hearing our story will stand up for us to finally have our own national women’s team — and also for the girls back home.” thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Inviting Taliban officials to Brussels to discuss a migration deal sends a dangerous message that a regime can systematically oppress Afghan women and girls and still be welcomed as a diplomatic partner. This is the same regime that, last week, detained at least thirty women and girls in Herat for how they were dressed, opened fire on the people who protested their arrest, killed a child and injured others.  The Taliban’s system of gender apartheid has erased women’s and girls from public life — banning them from schools and work, severely restricting their freedom of movement and forcing them into marriage. Europe should not be considering deals with a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world. rferl.org/a/eu-taliban-meeti…

First, secondary schools. Then universities. Then work, movement, and autonomy. Now: a girl's silence can be used as a consent to marriage. Step by step, the Taliban has built a system designed to dominate every aspect of women's and girls' lives. When exclusion is written into law, it stops being a rights violation. It becomes institutionalized domination. Afghan women are leading the charge to demand accountability, justice and an end to gender apartheid.

A privilege to welcome @Malala to Scotland and to Bute House today. We stand together in calling for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime under international law. Scotland firmly rejects the institutionalised oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan.