Mr. President, last week Congress recognized one of the planet's leading visionaries and humanitarians by awarding Prof. Muhammad Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal.

The ceremony occurred just a few hundred yards from here in the august Capitol Rotunda. There to pay tribute to this proud son of Bangladesh, this banker to the poor, this Nobel laureate were Members of Congress, former heads of state, diplomats, heads of major companies

and foundations, and grassroots activists--all of whom have been inspired by the work of one great man--Prof. Muhammad Yunus. It was a great privilege for me to be there.

More than 6 years ago I introduced a resolution in the Senate to award Professor Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal. I was joined in this effort by my friends, former Utah Senator Robert Bennett and Representative Rush Holt in the House.

We had a lot of help outside of Congress in making this happen. Joanne Carter and her team at RESULTS were instrumental. Thousands of RESULTS grassroots volunteers across the country contacted their Members of Congress and asked them to support the effort to recognize Professor Yunus. Two of those volunteers were Cindy Levin and Richard Smiley from Illinois. I am pleased that both could be here to see their hard work pay off.

I first met Muhammad Yunus more than two decades ago in Bangladesh. His revolutionary concept of microcredit and the Grameen Bank that he founded was helping to lift millions out of poverty. He loaned small amounts of money traditional banks wouldn't bother with to individuals traditional banks wouldn't bother with.

His innovative idea defied old beliefs. He proved banking could be done without collateral and that investing in women worked. Most of Grameen Bank's loans go to poor women who go from beggars to entrepreneurs.

I have seen it myself. Several years ago, in a ramshackle hut in Uganda, I met with three mothers who worked in the local market. I asked them, through an interpreter, how microcredit had changed their lives. One woman said: ``My knees have gone soft.'' I didn't understand what she meant so I asked her to explain. She said that before she received the microcredit loan that gave her a chance to go to market and make a little money, she used to have to crawl on her knees and beg her husband for money to feed her children. But she doesn't have to crawl anymore. Her knees have gone soft.

Over the last nearly 40 years, more than 160 million people on five continents have received microloans. His idea changed the world.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress can bestow and the practice dates back to the Continental Congress. Unlike other awards, each Congressional Gold Medal is unique to the recipient. It is specifically designed and sculpted according to the wishes of the recipient. I couldn't be more thrilled with how this tribute to Professor Yunus turned out. It is truly beautiful.

The obverse of the medal was designed by Indiana artist Donna Weaver and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The portrait of Professor Yunus is meant to ``accurately reflect his optimistic and cheerful personality.'' He is depicted wearing the traditional Bengali jamdani fabric design.

On the reverse, a ``lotus open in full bloom, rising above the water and cradling the world in its open petals'' evokes powerful symbolism. It was designed by Wisconsin artist Richard Masters and sculpted by Jim Licaretz. The Bangla inscription in the center is a quote taken from Professor Yunus' Nobel speech and reads, ``Let us send poverty to the museum.''

Beyond the typical pomp and circumstance of these ceremonies, last week's event truly made history. Professor Yunus becomes the first Muslim to win the Congressional Gold Medal. Additionally, he becomes only the seventh person in history to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal and the Nobel Peace Prize. In doing so, he joins truly exceptional company. Consider the six others with whom he now shares this honor: Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Norman Borlaug, Elie Wiesel, Mother Teresa, and Aung San Suu Kyi. To most of us these individuals are giants of history; to Professor Yunus they are peers in the struggle to advance human dignity.

Many probably thought Professor Yunus would be a contender for the Nobel Prize in Economics, but in awarding him the Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee recognized that lasting peace and prosperity can only come when the poor can escape the prison of poverty. As I noted at last week's ceremony, this simple but important lesson from a Bangladeshi professor should not be lost here in Congress.

In addition to those I have already mentioned who contributed to this endeavor, there are many more who deserve a great deal of thanks. I would like to thank a few of them.

First of all, Professor Yunus' assistant and the director of the Yunus Centre, Lamiya Morshed. She has worked tirelessly throughout this process--helping in the medal design and development and successfully taking on the daunting task of planning and coordinating a complex series of ceremonies, receptions, and meetings for Professor Yunus.

The dedicated and professional staff of the U.S. Mint deserve great praise for their work to design and produce the medal. Throughout the process one person has held this project especially close to her heart. Leslie Schwager, program specialist for the Yunus Gold Medal, worked tirelessly with my staff, Lamiya, and within the Mint to keep the process on track.

I would finally like to thank Speaker Boehner and his staff, as well as the staff of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, for their cooperation and leadership on the ceremony.

At last, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, my friend, has received from Congress an honor he has deserved for so long. I congratulate him and his family. I thank the country of Bangladesh for sharing this beloved national hero with the world.

Source: capitolwords