Yunus centre
Dr Yunus, Opportunity International CTO discuss possible collaboration at US Ambassador’s dinner
Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus was hosted by US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, at a dinner on March 4 to meet with Greg Nelson, Chief Technology Officer of Opportunity International.
The organisation promotes and implements microfinance programmes around the world.
They discussed the health programmes of Grameen and Opportunity International and about possible collaboration between the two organisations, said the Yunus Centre on Tuesday.
Read more: ‘Lobbyist-backed’ statement on Dr Yunus won’t impact FDI, Hasan Mahmud says
Amy Haas, Laurie Nelson and Nurjahan Begum, Executive Vice Chairman of Grameen Shikhha, were present on the occasion.
US Ambassador Haas on his LinkedIn posted: “It was an incredible privilege to speak with the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and Nurjahan Begum about their remarkable work towards improving the lives of people worldwide. Their contributions have made a significant impact and continue to inspire us all. Thank you for the work you do.”
Read more: Govt is not harassing Dr Yunus with false cases: Law Minister
9 months ago
Creation of Palestine state urgent; US key actor in bringing this to reality: Dr Yunus
Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus has called for immediate action to create a Palestinian state.
In a statement released from the Yunus Centre on Sunday (October 22, 2023), he said: "The conflict between Israel and Palestine is a very old problem which has become much more complicated now because of the treatment that the people of Palestine have been receiving from Israel.”
It has been brewing over time and suddenly recently it became very explosive and unacceptable against any civilised standard, added the statement.
Read: Blinken, Austin say US is ready to respond if US personnel become targets of Israel-Hamas war
“The solution right now is the creation of two states, something which the United Nations has a resolution on but which remains unimplemented. There is no way to escape from this resolution if we want to bring peace to the region. The top-most priority right now is to implement the long ignored UN resolution on creating two states. Otherwise we don't know where this conflict will lead us to. It has the potential to set the whole region on fire and suck in a larger part of the world into that fire,” it further reads.
"We must create the state of Palestine with extreme urgency. The key actor in bringing this to reality is the United States. If the US moves fast others will follow. The Biden administration must lead the world on this vital and urgent issue without delay.
Read: Stop Israel-Palestine war, save women and children: PM Hasina urges world leaders
"I urgently call upon all parties engaged in the conflict to immediately cease hostilities, ensure the safety and well-being of the innocent children and civilians caught in the midst of this crisis. It is imperative to facilitate and expedite the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the suffering population. It is time to focus on saving human lives, protect dignity and get to work on a permanent solution," he said.
"Let us join hands to put an end to the suffering, ensure uninterrupted humanitarian access, and foster an environment conducive to meaningful peace negotiations and work out the modalities to create Palestine state at the fastest pace. In this day and age, we should collectively recognize that war and bloodshed are inconsistent with the values and progress of our modern civilization. The world is watching and it is our shared responsibility to work towards a future where both Palestine and Israel can co-exist in harmony and peace together with friendly collaboration,” the statement concluded.
Read: Israel has right to statehood, so does Palestine: Chinese Ambassador
1 year ago
‘Social Business Academia Forum’ kicks off at Turin University
Institutions conceptualise and improve the practice of social business and examine the power of ‘3 Zeroes Clubs’ created by young people across the globe, said the Yunus Centre in a press release on Tuesday.
The University of Turin is co-hosting the Social Business Academia Forum (SBAF), with the Yunus Centre.
This Summit is the first in-person gathering of social business activists, entrepreneurs, academicians, researchers and students, since the pandemic started in 2020.
The Global Social Business Summit is always designed as a very intensive two-day event leading to many new social business initiatives.
After arriving in Turin, Professor Yunus was received by the founder of Italian NGO Sermig, Ernesto Olivero, before being taken to meet the staff of Sermig to share the experiences of social businesses with them.
Read more: Esports can help youths imagine a new civilization: Prof Yunus
Sermig was founded in 1964 in Turin by Ernesto Olivero and his wife Maria Cerrato and a few friends to defeat hunger, encourage dialogue, hospitality and peace. They transformed a weapons-producing factory during two world wars into one of Love and Peace.
Sermig has provided shelter and food for over 130,000 homeless people, broken families and women from severe socio-economic conditions. They have served over 30 million meals.
2 years ago
12th Social Business Day kicks off with focus on building a new civilization
The 12th Social Business Day, hosted by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, began on Monday with focus on healthcare, fighting unemployment, cross country collaboration in tackling climate change, 3Zero Clubs and all aspects of building a New Civilisation.
A series of African universities such as Catholic University of Zimbabwe along with Kampala International University and Makerere University Business School, Uganda, Tangaza University College, Kenya, Abomey Calavi of Benin, CAM School of Business from Central African Republic have arranged the hybrid (both online and in person) event to showcase all regional social business practitioners, academics, promoters, and friends.
The four-day event will end on Thursday with a theme ‘Building a New Civilisation—Before the Current Civilisation Destroys Us,’ according to a press release issued by the Yunus Centre.
Read: Yunus for creating social business pharm companies to bring vaccines, medicines to common people
The current civilisation which is based on profit maximisation has set us on a suicidal path.
Global warming, wealth concentration, and unemployment caused by artificial intelligence are leading us to our ultimate extinction.
"Our window of opportunity to put humanity on a new path towards a new direction is getting smaller and smaller. We must prepare the seed-bed of a new civilisation before the opportunity slips away,” said the media release.
Read Prof Yunus gets highest viewership in Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, says Yunus Centre
“The new civilisation has to be built on an economy based primarily on zero personal profit to solve the problems of the people and the planet. Social business presents this option. Social business aims at finding compassionate, practical, and long-lasting solutions to social issues while expanding opportunities for the people and the economy. The new civilisation will analyse the breakthroughs achieved while preparing for the next leg of our journey before our time runs out.”
There will be 150+ speakers, which includes 30 globally prominent speakers, 14 country forums, 16 plenary sessions during the four days.
More than 700 registered participants from 66 countries are joining globally.
Read: Grameen Yemen launches microcredit, Social Business in Yemen
There will be keynote speeches from President José Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate and President of East Timor, Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Chair, Nobel Women's Initiative, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE , founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, UNAIDS, Máiread Maguire, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Dr. Devi Shetty, Managing Director, Narayana Hrudayalaya.
The event included the annual convention of the ‘3ZERO Clubs,’ a global initiative for the youth aimed at realising a World of 3ZEROS: zero net carbon emission, zero wealth concentration for ending poverty, and zero unemployment through entrepreneurship.
This convention of the youths will give an opportunity to the members of senior generations to listen to the issues being discussed by the present day youth and catch any opportunity to build bridges among the generations.
Read Grameen America Inc receives $25 million grant from MacKenzie Scott
Besides, some sessions will be hosted in languages in Bengali, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French and Portuguese; these sessions will be simultaneously presented during country-specific forums, the release added.
Country Forums for countries and regions where the social business concept is in practical use are planned to be held.
Country Forums will be devoted to sharing experiences, exploring potential, and analysing the actual practice of social businesses within each country, or group of countries.
The discussion will take place in the language of that country, and will be headed by practitioners of these different countries.
Read 74th UNGA side event on Social Business, Youth and Technology held
Closing speeches will be presented by Marina Mahathir Writer, Human Rights Activist, Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Andrea Jung, President and Chief Executive Officer, Grameen America, Dr. Antonella Mei-Pochtler, Special Advisor to the Federal Chancellor, Head of Strategy Unit – ThinkAustria, Forest Whitaker, UN SDG Advocate, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Laureate, Sharon Stone actor and activist and Zanele Mbeki Former First Lady of South Africa.
Every year, Social Business Day is organised to discuss and celebrate the groundbreaking idea of social business.
This event also creates an opportunity for participants to engage in various interactive panel sessions and workshops to broaden their understanding in their specific areas of interest.
Read Prof Yunus invited to join Padma Bridge inaugural programme
Social Business Day is an annual event gathering that platforms the accumulated experiences of social business leaders and entrepreneurship to give shape to the future.
2 years ago
Prof Yunus invited to join Padma Bridge inaugural programme
The government has invited Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus to join the opening programme of the Padma Bridge on June 25.
The Bridges Division sent the invitation card to Yunus Centre on Wednesday, Director (Administration) of Bangladesh Bridge Authority Rupam Anwar told UNB on Thursday.
Read: BNP turns down invitation to join Padma Bridge opening programme
Yunus Centre Deputy General Manager (DGM) Rahima Khatun received the invitation card.
Rahima told UNB that they have already sent the invitation to Prof Yunus.
The inauguration of the Padma Bridge will be celebrated in 64 districts of the country simultaneously on June 25.
2 years ago
Prof Yunus gets highest viewership in Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, says Yunus Centre
The highest number of TV viewers during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 was recorded when Nobel Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus delivered his “Three Zeros” speech, following his acceptance of the Olympic Laurel.
Yunus Centre in Dhaka shared the information on Monday quoting a Toshiba report published on Yahoo News Japan.
According to the report, Japanese TV viewers were listening to his speech on 47 per cent of all TV sets in Japan.
Also read: ‘Honoured and overwhelmed’: Dr Yunus after receiving Olympic Laurel
Toshiba's viewer monitoring was based on the sample size of 340,000 TV sets in Japan.
This programme calculates the audience rating every second.
According to it, the audience rating rose to 10 per cent of TV sets in the first 10 minutes of the opening ceremony broadcast.
The number of viewers continued to rise until it reached the peak during Prof. Yunus's speech.
At the time Japanese audience were watching the ceremony on 47 per cent of all TV sets in Japan.
The Yahoo News Japan report also says audience rating of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics was three times that of the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.
Yuji Suzuki, a well-known Japanese journalist who specialises in analytics, reported on the size of audience during the opening ceremony in an article published on Yahoo News Japan on July 24.
Prof. Yunus, in his Olympic Laurel acceptance speech, urged all athletes to build a world of Three Zeros.
Also read: Prof Yunus renews call for ensuring vaccine equality breaking profit wall
He defined the Three Zeros as: Zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration to end poverty once and for all, and zero unemployment by unleashing the power of entrepreneurs in everyone.
If the whole world had the same percentage of tuning in to their television sets as in Japan (47%), that would mean 3.2 billion people all over the world were listening to his speech at the time.
When the march past of country delegations of athletes began after his speech the audience rating, however, began to decline sharply, according to Yunus Centre.
Athletes from more than 200 countries participated in the parade.
3 years ago
Grameen America Inc receives $25 million grant from MacKenzie Scott
Grameen America Inc, the leading microfinance nonprofit organisation focused on low-income minority women in the United States, has announced the receipt of a $25 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
4 years ago
Declare COVID-19 vaccines a global common good: Global leaders
Some 105 global leaders including 18 Nobel Laureates have signed a call initiated by Yunus Centre to declare COVID-19 Vaccines as a global common good.
4 years ago
COVID-19: Grameen orgs to provide 50,000 PPE
Grameen Fabrics and Fashion (Ltd) has manufactured 20,000 PPE gowns and supplied them to hospitals and medical centres to help ensure the safety and protection of doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals.
4 years ago
74th UNGA side event on Social Business, Youth and Technology held
Dhaka, Oct 5 (UNB) - The 74th UN General Assembly’s high-level side event on ‘Social Business, Youth and Technology’ was recently held at the UN Headquarters.
5 years ago