Speech by Professor Yunus at the MDG Summit
Professor Yunus's Speech at the MDG Summit on 22nd September, 2010
MDGs are the most important decisions ever taken by mankind by a consensus to dramatically change the quality of life of all poor people on this planet. These decisions were taken at the UN with great enthusiasm from all global leaders. Soon afterwards, the enthusiasm turned into indifference as the political attention of the leading nations shifted totally. Now the situation has changed. The attention and enthusiasm of leaders are back. But we have only five years left to reach these targets. We must pool all our energy and will to achieve the goals before the time is up.
Some countries have shown excellent performance towards achieving the MDGs goals. Other countries have been left far behind. We must make sure every single country achieve all the goals. We have the strategies and programs to make it happen.
For the next five years UN must give topmost priority in its agenda to reaching MDGs in all countries, not just celebrate the success in a few countries. All nations must put the highest political and economic priority on MDGs and help each other in doing so.
I will emphasize three major areas of attention in achieving the goals. First, we must utilize the amazing power of today's technology in turning impossibles into possibles. This can be done if we get businesses seriously involved in achieving global success on the MDG front. My second emphasis will be on the power and dedication of the new generation of young people throughout the world. They are a completely new generation, unlike any generation in the history of mankind. They are committed to make a major difference in the world. Let us put them into the action front.
Third emphasis will be on a new kind business called social business. This type of business is dedicated entirely to solving social problems, in a business way, but without any intention of making personal profit. The power and creativity of the business world can be harnesed through social business. We have experienced this through our own work. Many global companies came forward at their own initiative to partner with us to solve social problems. We created social business with a top global company to end malnutrition among children in Bangladesh. We have social business joint ventures with global companies to produce shoes for the barefoot people to protect them from parasitic diseases, to produce clean drinking water to enable people to replace arsenic contaminated water, to produce treated mosquito-nets to save people from malaria.
Muhammad Yunus
