Yunus, Abed make joint call for better life

• Miscellaneous
• 14th March 2010
• YC

Star Business Report

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and Sir Fazle Hasan Abed yesterday made a clarion call from the same dais for the present and future generations to come forward to work for a better life of people.

Yunus joined a reception accorded to Sir Abed on his knighthood, by the National Association for Resource Improvement (NARI) at Gulshan Club in Dhaka.

The two pioneering development campaigners dwelt on various issues relating to poverty alleviation.

These included among other things child and maternal health, improvement in education at all levels and attainment of gender equality, especially in economic arenas.

“Our liberation war has given a big push to our national urge for a change in life. One of its examples is Brac and Abed,” said Muhammad Yunus, who has been able to make microfinance a global agenda to cut poverty.

He pointed out that zeal in Abed helped him overcome all odds and so he had been able to help people in their fight for coming out of the clutches of poverty. Abed, who recently gained knighthood for his contribution to betterment of the poor, has made an organisation like Brac an imitable mission for many others to get new methods and approaches for development, the Nobel laureate said.

“The success of Abed will inspire people. He has shown us the spirit that calls for work for changes and improvement of the society under any circumstances,” said Yunus.

Abed, founder and chairperson of Brac, the world's largest nongovernmental organisation, said he works on improving lives of people by intervening in the areas of education, child and maternal health.

He called upon the youth to carry forward the campaigns and works for changes for betterment of the lives of people, especially unserved and marginalised sections of the society.

“Now time has come for the next generation to take over from us,” Abed said.

Stressing gender equality, the Brac founder said:
“We have marked progress in attaining gender equality in education, but we have not done much in achieving economic equality.”

He said economic equality between men and women is important to make the society happier.

News Details