CA places six proposals to build sustainable future

DOHA, April 22 (Agencies): Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emphasised the need to explore the role of social business, financial inclusion, and microfinance in fostering sustainable development and economic opportunities for marginalised communities.
He stated that poverty is created due to a flawed economic system and presented six proposals at the Earthna Summit, highlighting that the path to a sustainable and equitable future requires collective action.
Dr. Yunus emphasised that the world is transforming at a faster pace than previously thought, driven by a variety of complex factors.
The head of Bangladesh's interim government made the observation during his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Earthna Summit in Qatar's Doha on Tuesday.
"We live in a time of profound uncertainty, where multilateralism is under serious threat, climate change is accelerating, geopolitical tensions are rising, and humanitarian crises are deepening," he is quoted as saying by state news agency.
"Emerging norms, technologies, and governance models are rapidly reshaping our world, rendering many past assumptions obsolete."
He stressed the need for "renewed regional and global cooperation" to keep step with the changing world.
While delivering his keynote speech at the summit, he said first, the world must expand financial inclusion to reach all marginalised communities empowering individuals with the financial tools they need to build livelihoods and participate fully in the economy.
"Second, we must champion social business as a powerful tool for addressing social and environmental challenges, fostering enterprises that prioritise purpose over profit," the chief adviser said.
Thirdly, he said the world must recognise the crucial role of youth as agents of change, creating platforms for their voices to be heard and investing in their skills and potential.
"Fourthly, we must work towards peace and justice globally, recognising that these are fundamental prerequisites for sustainable development and the well-being of all humanity," he said.
In his fifth proposal, Prof Yunus said the moral obligation of the global community should not be forgotten for providing necessary financing for undertaking the aforementioned activities.
He said developed countries must meet their ODA commitments, particularly the 0.2% GNI target for the LDCs, which remains at 0.09%.
Enhanced concessional financing, with disaster clauses, is critical for sustaining development momentum including in the graduating countries," the chief adviser said.
"Finally, we must create another culture; a counter-culture based on a different lifestyle. This lifestyle will be rooted in zero waste, zero carbon, and an economy based primarily on zero personal profit, i.e., on social business," he said.
Prof Yunus said this kind of business is a non-dividend enterprise designed specifically to solve social and environmental problems.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus urged the global leaders not to forget Palestine and Rohingya crises, saying the Palestinians are not expendable. "The world must not ignore the humanitarian crises that affect people from Palestine to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh," he said in his keynote speech.
The chief adviser said impunity and blatant disregard for human rights are threats to development anywhere in the world.
"The ongoing suffering in Palestine concerns not just a region, but all of humanity. Palestinians are not expendable," he added.
Prof Yunus, also the 2006 Noble Peace Laureate, said the protracted crisis in Myanmar continues to threaten regional stability.
For years, he said Bangladesh has hosted over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, bearing significant social, economic, and environmental costs.
BSS adds: Qatar will hire 725 Bangladeshi soldiers to serve in various capacities in the country, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said in Doha on Tuesday.
"The process of hiring the soldiers from Bangladesh will begin within next two months," he told BSS on the sidelines of Earthna Summit in Doha. A high-level Bangladesh delegation, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, is now visiting Doha to attend the Earthna Summit 2025.
Alam said Bangladeshi soldiers have been working in Kuwait for a long time. Similarly, he said, Qatar also wants to hire Bangladeshi soldiers on a regular basis.