Who We Are

• Miscellaneous
• 22nd June 2009
• YC

Divisions

• Poverty Free World Campaign
• Microcredit
• Social Business
• Museum/Archive/Library/Conferences/Workshops
• Academic Programs
• Research & Publications
• International Communication and Networking (GCC will be part of it.)
• Finance/Accounts/Administration
• CCYG/Internship/Scholarship/Networking

Description

1. Poverty Free World Campaign
Professor Yunus has long said that poverty is something imposed by society on people, and that creating a poverty free world is a matter of will. Yunus Centre will coordinate the Poverty Free World Campaign encompassing partners and networks around the world. Yunus Centre will be working to promote the UN Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh and around the world, and the campaign for Bangladesh to be free of poverty by 2030.

2. Microcredit
Professor Yunus is the creator of microcredit and through Grameen Bank and Grameen Trust has spread the philosophy and practice of microcredit all over the world.

While Grameen Bank and Grameen Trust will spread the practice of Grameen Bank, Yunus Centre will act as a research hub on microcredit in Bangladesh and worldwide, and disseminate on state of microcredit and best practices internationally. In particular it will work to present information on number of clients, number of the poorest among them, number of poorest clients that are women, number of clients that have crossed the poverty line, etc.

3. Social Business
Professor Yunus has been promoting the creation of social business, non loss non dividend companies to address social and environmental problems which he believes will address the problems still left unsolved in the world and not addressed within the present capitalist system. Social businesses will also encompass those businesses that are for profit but in which the majority ownership of a company is in the hands of poor people. Already, there are a number of social businesses underway in Bangladesh such as Grameen-Danone addressing child malnutrition, Grameen Veolia water project to bring clean water to the poor, Grameen GC Eye Care Hospital to bring affordable eye care to the poor, Grameen Intel to bring the IT to the poor. These are all based on these principles. Many others are in the pipeline.

Yunus Centre will act as an incubator of social businesses to develop new social businesses, both nationally and internationally. It will work with all the thousands of individuals and organizations that are already excited by the idea of social business and are in touch with Professor Yunus to bring to reality social businesses in diverse fields. Yunus Centre will serve as a hub and international point of contact for social business concept and practice, and will coordinate programs of exposure to existing social businesses in Bangladesh.

4. Museum/Archive/Library
Professor Yunus has gained international recognition and honor. Yunus Centre would like to bring together in a systematic way the awards, honors, prizes, degrees and other distinctions that have been received by Professor Yunus to create a museum and archives that can be accessed by members of other institutions and by members of the public. Yunus Centre will also house a digital library comprising of a unique collection of video and audio tapes of Professor Yunus’ speeches and writings at various forums, of visits to microcredit programs, among others.

5. Academic Programs
Yunus Centre will develop academic programs on microcredit and social business together with other national and international centres of excellence in conjunction with its Research Program. Already leading business institutions such as HEC in Paris has developed a chair in social business, and working to develop a curriculum on social business. California State University is also working to develop study modules on social business. Many more academic institutions are poised to do the same. Yunus Centre will liaise and partner with the network of institutions that are developing social business courses and help in the development of such programs.

6. Research & Publications
As mentioned previously,Yunus Centre will undertake research and publications primarily in the area of microcredit and social business. The objective of the research undertaken by the YC will be to accelerate development and eradicate poverty. It will work closely with the academic programs to develop course materials on social business and microcredit.

7. International Communication and Networking
Yunus Centre will be a clearing house of information on microcredit for the poor and social business. It will build on Professor Yunus’ existing international network of individuals and institutions that work in the field of poverty eradication. The development of world class websites on the work of Professor Muhammad Yunus and new websites on social action forums and social businesses will comprise an integral part of this international communications and networking. The Global Communications Centre, equipped with state of the art video conferencing facilities to enable Professor Yunus and others to participate via satellite link in meetings and conferences around the world, will be an important part of international communications work of Yunus Centre.

8. Creative and Compassionate Young Generation / Internship/ Scholarship / Networking
Yunus Centre will especially work with the youth to encourage their involvement in creation of a poverty free world. Yunus Centre will design programs to involve youth in social action programs and particular the creation and managing of social businesses. Yunus Centre will provide opportunities for internship and may develop scholarship programs to young people.