Queen Rania of Jordan presented Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban for promoting education for girls, with an award for leadership on Wednesday.
Malala gave a short speech after receiving the Leadership in Civil Society Award from Queen Rania at the Clinton Global Initiative's Citizen Awards Dinner in New York.
Jordan's queen was so moved by meeting the young activist that she took to her personal Twitter account to pay tribute to the 16-year-old.
"Malala, vision and strength we can all learn from," said Queen Rania. "Congrats on receiving the Global Citizen Award! #Malala #CGI2013."
© Photo: Getty Images"Women are not even accepted as human beings," said Malala as she addressed the audience. "They are treated with injustice and inequality.
"Women are denied, they are neglected even in the developed countries where they are not given the opportunities to move forward and be what they want."
"If you want to end the war, if you want to fight against the war," added Malala. "Then instead of sending guns, send books."
© Photo: Getty ImagesAt the age of just 14 Malala was shot by the Taliban on 9 October 2012 for speaking out about her views on female education.
In the year following her recovery Malala's story has inspired many high profile people, including Angelina Jolie.
"After reading an article, I felt compelled to share Malala's story with my children," said Angelina in October 2012. "It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only 'crime' was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school."
