Former chief adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has received the prestigious ‘Hillary Rodham Clinton Award’.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the award to Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus at a grand ceremony held at Georgetown University in Washington on Thursday.
Around 400 guests, including ambassadors from about 25 countries, entrepreneurs, teachers and researchers, attended the ceremony at the university’s Gaston Hall.
As soon as Muhammad Yunus’s name was announced, the audience rose to its feet and gave him a prolonged standing ovation.
A total of four people, including Muhammad Yunus, received the honour this year. The other recipients were India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) director Reema Nanavaty, Tory Burch Foundation founder and fashion designer Tory Burch and board chair of Jordan’s Microfund for Women Muna Sukhtian.
Muna also received the special ‘Georgetown Ambassadors Award’.
Praising Muhammad Yunus at the ceremony, Hillary Clinton said, “I have personally seen the work of Grameen Bank and seen how women have become self-reliant and ensured their own security and empowerment.”
Describing the work as unprecedented, she said, “It is not only the women of Bangladesh but Dr Yunus has spread his work across the world.”
In his acceptance speech, Muhammad Yunus referred to the completion of 50 years of his work and said, “This is a recognition of 50 years of our work. The event you have organised here will convey an important message to Bangladesh and inspire Grameen families.”
Highlighting Grameen Bank’s role in poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment, he said, “Through microcredit, we have helped people living in extreme poverty stand on their own feet.”
“We have focused on women so that they can use their own strengths, take responsibility for themselves and improve their families’ financial conditions,” he added.
“Today, we no longer see poor women sitting quietly and shyly. Instead, we see confident women who speak up about their problems and needs. These women run their own bank, and they are the owners of Grameen Bank,” Yunus added.
Referring to the children of borrowers who are now seeking employment, Yunus said they had been told to repeat the message, “We are not job seekers, we are job creators.”
Speaking about the concept of social business, he said its purpose was not to generate personal profit but to solve problems.
“Social business funds are supporting the establishment of hospitals, healthcare centres and eye hospitals in different parts of the country. Any surplus generated by these institutions is being reinvested in healthcare,” he added.
Criticising the current education system, Muhammad Yunus said it had been wrongly structured because it prepared young people to seek jobs.
“The purpose of education should be to develop people’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit and the education system should focus on creating entrepreneurs,”
Muhammad Yunus also revealed that Grameen University would be launched by the end of this year to help achieve that goal, according to a press release.
He said Grameen University could take the lead in building a “Three Zeros” world.
“The university will seek to teach students to become entrepreneurs instead of merely pursuing certificates. It will provide the necessary support, including financing, to help them start businesses,” he added.
He hoped that the initiative would mark a new beginning in the field of education.