The second annual Social Business Day was observed on Tuesday in the capital to celebrate Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus’s concept of social business and its implementation.
Prof Yunus opened the daylong events held at Hotel Sonargaon marking the day.
Inaugurating the events, he elaborated the role of social business in the country towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“Social business is totally dedicated to social objectives aimed at finding solutions to social problems and committed to serving the interests of people without incurring losses. And I do hope this businesses will change our society through a new kind of global business”, Prof Yunus said.
Yunus also detailed how the concept of Social Business is gaining interest beyond the national boundary.
“I met Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff last month, and she showed keen interest in the new concept to be adopted in Barzil”, he said.
Around 400 participants from 15 countries including Bangladesh, Austria, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India and the United Kingdom attended the events. “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals through Social Business” was the theme set for the day in order to highlight the visionary global actions focusing on eradicating poverty. Some 20 stalls have been set up by social business organizations to showcase their products.
The exhibition saw a packed room and visitors were curious to check out various products of Social Business institutions ranging from children and women garments, Nokia handset, solar panel unit, energy saving lamps, seeds, Bonsai trees.
Mafijur Rahman, a student of Dhaka University, told this correspondent that he himself was keen to initiate social business at his hometown Dinajpur, so he was visiting this exhibition.
During the opening session of the Day, BSAF Asia Pacific Regional Functions and Country Management president Saori Duborg, Veolia Water CEO Eric Lesueur, Grameen Danone executive director Corinne Bazina and officials from various Grameen organizations spoke sharing their experiences in developing social businesses.
This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by North South University Business School Dean Prof Abdul Hannan Chowdhury. UN Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs Assistant Secretary-General Thomas Stelzer and President of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Rokea Rahman, among others, attended the session.
The afternoon session was exclusively for faculty and students of participating 20 Bangladeshi institutions and 20 Indian business, schools who have taken part through video link. Prof Yunus answered questions from the students at the session.
-With The News Today input
