He is among the world’s most influential figures, dedicated to addressing global crises. A messenger of peace and an extraordinary individual, he leads a remarkably simple life. Widely regarded as one of the most intelligent and peaceful minds of our time, he remains restrained and modest. The world looks to him for change, yet he stays humble. A symbol of pride not only for Bangladesh but for all humanity, he is none other than Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist and Chief Adviser, Prof. Muhammad Yunus.
When the world is constantly facing various crises such as violence, conflict, poverty, hunger and climate change, he has lit up a torch of hope, becoming a beacon for the world. Bangladesh feels immensely fortunate that the pioneering economist, Prof Yunus, has taken the helm of the country in this time of crises. On 5 August last year, the fascist Sheikh Hasina government was ousted through a mass uprising led by the students. Soon after that, Prof Yunus, who symbolises the aspirations of the students and the people, took charge as the chief adviser on 8 August. For six months, he has been swimming against the tide. He is struggling to lift the country that was looted and plundered for years, but does not feel daunted as the whole world is with him. Bangladesh has been given a unique honour in the last six months. The influential Economist magazine declared Bangladesh the ‘Country of the Year’ because of him.
Prof Yunus is one of the pioneers in changing the condition of the huge number of poor people across the globe, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Peace activists now emphasise his ‘Three Zeroes’ theory to free the world from poverty, hunger and vulnerability. He is a visionary in changing the world through women’s empowerment, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, job creation, social entrepreneurship development and microfinance. He is also a pioneer in the movement to address the global risks of climate change.
Countries across the globe are praising his idea of ‘social business’ and adopting it. Everyone is considering the theory of social business to deal with the global economic crisis. Consequently, such businesses are expanding every year.
It is undoubtedly a huge blessing for Bangladesh that such a great person is running the state now, as Prof Yunus is a life-long learner, a man of knowledge. He is not just a scholar, he is putting his knowledge and discoveries into practice. He has been researching, investigating, and discovering all his life, and by applying it, he is changing the fate of people. He has dedicated his life as an example for the development of the fate of hardworking people and marginalized communities. Now Bangladesh is uplifted by his fame. He is a beacon of light for the poorest people in the world, as well as a ‘lighthouse’ for Bangladesh.
If we analyse the extraordinary life of Prof Muhammad Yunus, we will see that this man, who was a man of integrity and perseverance, was not a politician but a person who dedicated his life to the people. His upbringing and university career were all about changing the fate of people. During the Liberation War in 1971, when he was staying in the United States for higher education, he was still working for the country’s freedom from his position, making a great contribution. After the independence, he returned home and left his comfortable life and went to remote villages, seeking ways to improve the fate of the poor people.
When he found a job in a Jobra village in Chattogram, he started a programme providing a small loan to people. For this, he had to face immense hardships, but in the end he proved that if a person is meritorious, hardworking and honest, then no one can stop him from achieving his goal. The Grameen Bank founded by him in that village changed the condition of many poor people of the country’s rural areas.
The people who were extremely poor, who had no dreams in their lives, who could not even manage meager meals everyday became self-reliant through his programmes. Through small businesses, they changed their fate. Their children got the opportunity to get education. Grameen Bank is not just a micro-loan project. It is an extraordinary peaceful movement to change society.
We all know that poverty has no language, no country. That is why Prof Yunus spread his ideas developed with the Grameen Bank all over the world. Starting from Arkansas in the United States, microfinance has been implemented in Africa, Japan, Europe, and even India. The Grameen Bank is a unique model for eradicating poverty worldwide. Because of this microfinance, the fate of marginalized people is changing today. Otherwise, Bangladesh would not have been freed from the chains of poverty. Who knows how many famines would have followed? And for this reason, Prof Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
He is the first Bangladeshi to receive this award, but even before that, Prof Yunus was an admirable figure across the world. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which is considered Asia’s Nobel Prize, in 1984 for implementing the innovative idea of Grameen Bank, which boosted ownership and entrepreneurship among the backward women of the marginalized communities. As a result, not only the women’s participation in the workforce increased manifold, women’s empowerment in the country was also invigorated.
In 1987, the Bangladesh government recognised Prof Yunus’s contribution and awarded him the Independence Award. However, later the fascist Awami League government tried to humiliate him in a despicable political conspiracy by taking him to court.
Prof Yunus has been celebrated in many ways throughout the world. His contribution to human welfare is multifaceted. Nature, one of the most prestigious journals in the world, described as the ‘Nation Builder’ for his strong leadership in the development of Bangladesh, soon after he took the responsibility of building a discrimination-free Bangladesh. Prof Yunus was among the journal’s top 10 personalities who made significant contributions in various fields in 2024.
Prof Yunus has also recently been named among the world’s most influential Muslims. ‘The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims’, a list that examines the influence and contributions of Muslims around the world, ranks Prof Yunus at number 50.
Prof Yunus’s main focus is human welfare. His contribution to all branches of human welfare is undeniable. On the one hand, he is a pioneer in the fight for women’s empowerment and women’s rights; on the other hand, he is a leading voice in building a world for youth. He has been working for the awakening of women all over the world.
He has always extolled the power of youth, called for their leadership. He has implemented it in Bangladesh. He is always enthusiastic about the ideas of young people that can change the world. Following this passion, he has become closely associated with sports and culture. Because of this, he has been recognised. In 2023, Prof Yunus received the World Football Summit (WFS) Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary contribution to the world of sports. The award was presented in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 11 December that year.
For his enthusiasm about the power of youth, he always remains involved in sports, and the world becomes enlightened and prosperous by accepting his wisdom and knowledge. In 2021, he was awarded the ‘Olympic Laureate Award’ by the Olympics for his contribution to education, culture, development and peace. He was given the award at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof Yunus received the ‘Champion of Global Change’ award by the UN Foundation on 9 November 2021. He was honoured with the award at the ‘We the People’ event held in New York. The award was jointly awarded to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization. In 2019, he received the ‘Global Women’s Leadership Award’ for his work on microfinance and women’s empowerment and poverty eradication worldwide.
However, the most glorious honour that Prof Muhammad Yunus has brought to Bangladesh was in 2009, when he brought a unique gift to Bangladesh through the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’. We must remember that when Bangladesh became independent in 1971, the United States did not want our freedom. Even after the freedom struggle, Henry Kissinger continued to term Bangladesh as a ‘bottomless basket’. Prof Yunus received the highest honour in the United States, which was a great blessing for Bangladesh. Through the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he introduced himself as one of the most respected people in that country, which also boosted Bangladesh’s image. His honour actually uplifted the image of the country that was struggling with poverty.
Prof Yunus was full of innovative energy from the beginning of his career. He started thinking beyond the concerns of ordinary people. And for this reason, his contribution has been recognised one after another all over the world. These recognitions have given him more vitality, and have given him the encouragement to implement new ideas. Very few people in the world have been honoured with so many international awards and recognitions as Muhammad Yunus. In 1989, he received the ‘Aga Khan Award’ for poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment.
In 1993, he was presented the CARE Humanitarian Award. In 1994, he received the World Food Prize for ensuring food security through the Grameen Bank. In 1995, Switzerland awarded him the Max Schmidheiny Freedom Prize. And in 1996, he received the Simon Bolivar Prize for Economics. In the same year, Vanderbilt University in the United States awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 1997, Muhammad Yunus was honoured at the One Young World Summit. In the same year, he received the International Activism Award. For his Grameen Bank microcredit concept, he received the Business Innovation Award from the German Planetary Conservation Association in 1997. Norway awarded him the ‘Help for Self-Help’ award in the same year. In the same year, Italy awarded him the Man for Peace Award, and the United States gave him the World Forum Award.
Few people have become immortal by applying knowledge and research in practice. The number of such people in the history of the world is very small. Prof Muhammad Yunus is one such person. It is a great fortune for Bangladesh that he is not only the builder of the future of Bangladesh, but also the one who is creating a new era for Bangladesh to secure a honourable place in the world.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
