Staff Correspondent

Encouraging the youth around the world to unite in a shared mission to build sustainable futures for all, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said they have come a long way and are ready for doing more things in a big way.

“That's our commitment that we make in Bangladesh as we create a new Bangladesh. That's our job and we'll do it. Get it done,” he said while delivering the keynote speech at the 9th Social Business Youth Summit (SBYS) 2025 with a theme "Change the country, change the world."

Young visionaries, social business advocates, and experts from 21 countries came together in Bangladesh this time, the birthplace of social business. Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs (Senior Secretary) Lamiya Morshed, among others, was present.

Recently, Dr Yunus said, he was encouraging the people who are involved in giving pledge and sign up a pledge called ‘Giving Pledge’. “And the Giving Pledge means after their death, whatever wealth they have, this will be given as a charity, so the charity benefits from that.”

Dr Yunus, who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people, particularly women, said he has been arguing with the rich and wealthy people, who are signing up this giving pledge, to think a bit whether they would also like to give it a different one, not just giving pledge.

He laid emphasis on “social business giving pledge” so that the money that they give away does not go as a charity only. “You create a separate pledge where it will go as an investment in social business.”

Trying to explain it further, Dr Yunus said, charity money has only one life but social business money has endless life. “You can address the same problem. But money keeps recirculating again and again and touches everybody.”

So hopefully some of them will sign up for social business giving pledge so that they do not need to worry about how the financing is done, said the Chief Adviser.

“We also have to work on the banking system. Banking system is looking for projects which will show how much profit they make. But the moment we talk about social business, they worry. There's nothing to worry about. It's a business. It's as much profit as any other business themselves. So profit-wise, there is no difference. Only there is no profit taken,” Dr Yunus said.

Remembering the sacrifices made by the young people, the Chief Adviser said they have done amazing things. “As you go to the streets of Dhaka, you'll see all the painted walls…. kind of documenting what they are thinking, what they're looking for, what they stand for. So this is not just a casual painting. So today, our walls on the street around the whole country, not just Dhaka city, became a museum,” he said.

Yunus said this is a historical moment that they participate in and think together to build that new Bangladesh as their dream is new Bangladesh.

“The point I always emphasize is that it's not difficult. We can change the whole world just from here, people who are sitting here in this room,” he said, referring to the proverb that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

The chief adviser said if they imagine it will happen. “If we don't imagine, it will never happen. So this is a celebration of imagination, what we do. It's a simple thing to do. It's not a complicated thing to do, taking very small and insignificant steps. That's where the journey begins.”

He said creating a business not to make money is more exciting than creating a business to make money. “So we came up with another kind of description of it or elaboration of it, saying that making money may be happiness.”

Dr Yunus added, “Making money may be happiness. But making other people happy is super happiness. And that's where social business came.”

The chief adviser invited all those who are coming from outside to visit some of those social business healthcare programs and how to expand them, not only nationwide, but as a global campaign - global initiatives or programs.

Today, the world is home to over 8 billion people, with more than 1 billion living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.90 a day.

Global unemployment has surged by over 50 million people since 2007, while the civilization faces unprecedented risks from the climate crisis, organizers said. Relying solely on governments, corporations, and policymakers is no longer enough; we must create a world of three zeros — zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration for ending poverty, and zero unemployment by unleashing entrepreneurship in all.

To build this world, the summit sought global solidarity, and the bold, innovative spirit of change-makers everywhere.

By creating space for dialogues and debates, “we reinforce our commitment to a world that prioritises the welfare of the people and our planet over profits, demonstrating how social business can turn ambitious visions into concrete solutions that improve lives around the globe”, said the organizers.

SBYS 2025 created an inclusive space where young people, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, policymakers, and investors can collaborate to identify and tackle key issues in areas like food security, health, education, climate change, gender equality, zero waste, sports and arts for social change, sustainable fashion, and much more.