A campaign has been launched to support Bangladesh-based economist, micro-finance guru and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, seeking signatures from citizens across the globe in order to “protect” his work, life and safety.
Called “Protect Yunus”, the campaign has been initiated by 40 global leaders, including former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former Mexican president Vicente Fox, musician Peter Gabriel, former NASA astronaut Ron Garan, former CEO, Rockefeller Foundation and International Herald Tribune Peter C Goldmark Jr, former US vice president Al Gore, Rotary International CEO John Hewko, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Kerry Kennedy, 8th secretary general of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.
Asking people to write to elected representatives at the federal level (such as Congressperson and Senators if one lives in the US) and urging them to take action in support of Prof Yunus and human rights in Bangladesh, the campaign seeks individuals to write a letter to the editor of local newspapers support him on social media.
Initiating the campaign, the 40 top global leaders from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business, the arts, and academia in their open letter to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, published as a full-page ad in the Washington Post, insist that “positive steps” be taken to support and recognize the great contributions Prof Yunus.
The letter comes amidst running campaign against Prof Yunus supported by the Bangladesh establishment to allegedly denigrate his contributions.
Text:
We write to you as friends of Bangladesh who admire the courage and ingenuity of the people of your country. We are public servants and businesspeople, civil society leaders and philanthropists. We are among the tens of millions of global citizens who have been inspired by the innovations that have been developed in Bangladesh and adopted around the world. It is out of this deep respect for your country that we write to urge you to take positive steps to support and recognize the great contributions one of your most notable citizens, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus.We have deep concerns for Professor Yunus’ well-being and his ability to contribute to humanitarian advancement in Bangladesh and around the world. As we are sure you are aware, Muhammad Yunus’ contributions to Bangladesh-especially to the very poor and the most vulnerable-as well as to the world, are recognized and honored around the globe. For example:
- Professor Yunus is one of seven people in history to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, the U.S. Presidential medal of Freedom, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, a group that includes Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Elie Wiesel.
- He founded Grameen Bank in 1976 and grew it to a world-renowned poverty-fighting institution of 9 million borrowers, 97 percent of them women, that has lifted millions out of poverty and been a model for other microcredit programs around the world.
- In the mid-1980s Grameen Bank began offering housing loans of $200-$500 that have led to the construction of sturdy rural homes for more than 750,000 families.
- Grameen Shakti, which Professor Yunus founded and chairs, has installed more than 1.8 million solar home systems and trained thousands of rural women to install and repair these systems.
- The farsighted investment of Grameen Telecom, a nonprofit organization that he founded, in GrameenPhone, has allowed for the proliferation of social innovation throughout Bangladesh such as the establishment of Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing, the country’s largest private nursing college, four eye care hospitals that cater to the country’s poor, 150 primary health care clinics, and more.
- He established Grameen America in 2008 to provide microcredit to low-income people in the United States, mostly in amounts under $2,500. It is about to cross the milestone of $3 billion lent, and it has a 99% repayment rate.
We believe one of the most important roles of government is to create an environment where traditional and social entrepreneurs can flourish.
We hope that Bangladesh will return to its role as a model for other developing nations of how a vibrant civil society can be nurtured to ensure sustainable progress. A good first step would be to recognize Professor Yunus’ achievements and allow him to focus his energy on doing more good for your country and for the world, rather than on defending himself.
We, and tens of millions of people around the world, hope that you will embrace this vision.
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Click here for list of global signatories
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