The Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan Wishes Professor Yunus Success in Leading Bangladesh's Democracy

(中央社訊息服務20240813 15:58:25)The Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan (“The Foundation”) was established under the authorization of Professor Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to promote the concepts of social business and the "3ZERO" vision—Zero net carbon emissions, Zero poverty, and Zero unemployment. The Foundation has been cultivating these ideals in Taiwan for nearly 10 years. Recently, the people of Bangladesh initiated a second independence revolution, overthrowing the autocratic government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The President of Bangladesh has appointed Professor Yunus as the head of the interim government, entrusting him with the leadership role to guide Bangladesh towards democratization.

Professor Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank, has assisted disadvantaged groups in numerous countries and regions worldwide in micro-entrepreneurship through microloans. His efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, and he is widely known as the "Banker to the Poor." As a pioneer of social business concepts, he also served as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics laureate and is the Chief Consultant for Social Businesses at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In April 2014, with the assistance of Juno Wang and the Rotary International District 3480, and the Chinese Association for Corporate Transformation Innovation and Advancement, Professor Yunus was invited to Taiwan for a lecture. At that time, Philippa Tsai and Juno Wang, who were Assistant Governors and Assistant Secretaries General of the Rotary International District, as well as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association for Corporate Transformation Innovation and Advancement, organized a master youth forum titled "Dream, No Poverty, New World" at the Taipei International Convention Center, attended by over 3,000 people. Professor Yunus's inspiring speech moved countless young people, and he was deeply touched by the enthusiasm of Taiwanese youth eager to learn from him. This led Philippa Tsai and Juno Wang to initiate the establishment of the Foundation. In 2019, during Professor Yunus's visit to Taiwan, the Foundation held the second Yunus Social Business East Asia Conference. Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn Technology Group, was invited as the "Yunus Personality" for a dialogue with Professor Yunus, promising strong support for the Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan, marking a new milestone for the Foundation.

Professor Yunus is the pioneer and Chief Consultant of the Foundation. Co-founders Philippa Tsai and Juno Wang have served as the Foundation’s President and CEO since its inception. The Foundation's 108 pioneer angels were the supporters of the Foundation. Over the past decade, the Foundation has been committed to empowering disadvantaged entrepreneurs through the Grameen model. In addition to establishing the Credit Union of Grameen in Taipei City, the Foundation has spread good knowledge through Grameen Schools and monthly Yunus Social Business Salons in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Recently, the Foundation has been planning to establish the 3ZERO College to offer courses related to Professor Yunus's vision and principles. The Foundation remains dedicated to empowering youth and promoting establishment of more social businesses to solve social problems. The Foundation has maintained close ties with Professor Yunus, who has personally overseen the Foundation’s four major missions in Taiwan: establishing Yunus Social Business Centres (“YSBC”) at universities, promoting social businesses, creating social business venture capital funds, and implementing the Grameen model. Currently, there are 109 universities globally with YSBCs, and the Foundation has established 14 YSBCs in Taiwanese universities, with the latest being Nanhua University. This makes Taiwan the country with the highest density of YSBCs worldwide. Professor Yunus continues to guide the Foundation’s public welfare endeavors in Taiwan.

Philippa Tsai, President of the Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan expressed her delight in seeing Professor Yunus return to lead Bangladesh. She is confident that Professor Yunus will successfully transform Bangladesh into a democratic nation, and the Foundation will continue to offer sincere blessings and support to both Professor Yunus and the people of Bangladesh. CEO Juno Wang noted that having recently participated in the 14th Social Business Day in Manila, the Philippines, she had extensive discussions with Professor Yunus. Although Bangladesh has recently experienced student protests, leading to some bloodshed, with the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the protests have subsided. Student leaders and citizens of Bangladesh are hopeful that Professor Yunus will lead the interim government, and he has indeed risen to the occasion. While this outcome may introduce some uncertainties in the Foundation’s planned Yunus Social Business East Asia Conference in December, where Professor Yunus was to be invited, it is undoubtedly the best outcome for the people of Bangladesh and Professor Yunus. The Foundation for Yunus Social Business Taiwan extends its heartfelt blessings and encourages everyone to take action, amplifying social impact and contributing to the creation of a beautiful 3ZERO world.