President Dilma Rousseff interested in bringing Social Business to Brazil
Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus met Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at the Presidential Palace in the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, on 25th of May 2011. The meeting lasted for 90 minutes.
During the meeting, Professor Yunus explained how the concept of Social Business can be adopted in Brazil to solve the social problems that afflict Brazilian society. President Rousseff showed a keen interest in Social Business; and she expressed her desire to know more on how this concept can be adopted to Brazil. Towards this, she designated two of her ministers to hold separate meetings with Professor Yunus on 27th May, to work out an action plan on implementing Social Business concepts in Brazil.
The President liked the idea of a highly nutritious yogurt for malnourished children and urged Professor Yunus to implement a similar project in Brazil so that the yogurt could be included in the school lunch program for children in Brazil.
President Rousseff also announced that she will encourage a leading Brazilian university to set up an Institute of Social Business, with the aim of conducting research into and to teach Social Business to its students. Professor Yunus invited President Rousseff to come to the Global Social Business Summit to be held in Vienna, Austria this November 2011; the President graciously accepted the invitation.
President Rousseff appointed a high powered committee to follow up on the meeting with Professor Yunus. The meeting was attended amongst others, by the Brazilian Minister for Health and the Executive Vice-President of Banco do Brazil, the bank which coordinates microfinance programs in Brazil.
Professor Yunus was in Brazil for 3 days from the 24th to the 27th to meet with the President, and to attend a conference in Belo Horizonte, in the Southeastern region of Brazil.
