Press Release (24 May, 2019)
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus was invited by the Prime minister of Kazakhstan to attend Astana Economic Forum, a premier conference that attracts government and business leaders from around the world. During his visit Professor Yunus had a session with Prime minister who wanted to know Professor Yunus’s view on poverty alleviation strategy for Kazakhstan. Professor Yunus had a detailed discussion with Mr. Bakhytzhan Sagintayev, Minister of Presidential Affairs and former Prime Minister of Kazakhstan at his office on issues raised by him in his book “A World of Three Zeroes”. Minister Sagintayev was holding a copy of the Russian edition of book which he read and noted down many questions on implementation of suggestions made by Professor Yunus in the book. After 90 minutes of discussion the minister concluded that Kazakhstan is ready to set up “Grameen Kazakhstan” following the model of “Grameen America” as a joint venture with Yunus Centre. This will be microfinance bank with banking license to provide financial services particularly to women and youth for supporting entrepreneurship. He told Professor Yunus he will send a delegation to Social Business Day which is going to be held in Bangkok on June 28-29, and to Dhaka, to work out the details of setting up of Grameen Kazakhstan. He also told Yunus that he’ll encourage leading universities in Kazakhstan to set up Yunus Social Business Centres to introduce academic courses on theory and practice of social business.
During the conference a separate session was held for Kazakhstan university students for Professor Yunus to address them. He talked to young people in packed hall.
During the Astana Forum many people approached Yunus to get his signature on the Russian edition of his recently published book in Russian Language.
17 May, 2019, Professor Yunus addressed the second Friends of Social Business Forum under the theme of “the power of solidarity” at Wiesbaden, Germany. The forum had discussions on concrete societal issues and presented sustainable social and globalized solutions. Peter Eigen, founder of Transpareny International, Hans Reitz, Creative Media Director, Nari Kahle, Director of Social Innovation of Volkswagen automobile company, Torsten Schreiber of Africa Green, Manouchehr Shamsrizin of Digital Health Creative, Dirk Sander and Oliver Kuschel both from Impact Factory, Philipp Veit, Urstrom Genoschenschaft, Christina Jaeger, Daniel Nowack, Dominik Hofmann, Yunus Social Business, Homeport, Andre Dörfler, R & V Academy, Michael Brohm, Fritz Lietsch, Sustainable Economic Forum, Verena Reichel and others were also speakers at the event. This forum was organized in collaboration with R&V which is the insurance wing of the prestigious Raffeissen Bank of Germany. Professor Yunus also addressed a public event at the garden of Castle Freudenberg, where he brought the message about social business to the leading citizens of Wiesbaden including former federal minister Heide Marie, Plantu, the famous cartoonist of popular French newspaper Le Monde, several former Mayors and current Mayor of Wiesbaden. Professor Yunus was a special guest at the Rotary Club Rhein-Main, Germany in Wiesbaden which awarded an honorary membership to him during a special event on 19 May 2019 in Wiesbaden. Inspired by Professor Yunus, the Club shares the interest in supporting the development of local economy, especially women entrepreneurship. Building on those commonalities, the club took this opportunity to announce its first support to the important local social business enterprise “Social Business Women“ in Wiesbaden of which Professor Yunus is the patron.
Towards the end of his visit to Germany, Professor Yunus signed agreement to set up a Yunus Social Business Centre at Leuphana University in Germany. This becomes the 72nd Yunus Centre in the network of such Centres globally and the second one in Germany. First Yunus Centre in Germany was set up in the European Business School. Yunus Centre at the Leuphana University aims to support and research financially self-sustaining businesses that aim at solving social problems. By way of research, teaching and actions, students as well as entrepreneurs will be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and passion to create successful social businesses. The work of this Centre will be focused on the moral values of the entrepreneurs starting social business as well as the social, environmental and economic value creation resulting from social businesses.
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