Chittagong’s proud son, Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the Chief Advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi Nobel Prize winning banker and economist. He is a teacher in the Department of Economics of Chittagong University. He is the originator of the concept of microcredit. Professor Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He is the first Bangladeshi to receive this award. Dr. Muhammad Yunus has won more national and international awards including the World Food Award.
Birth and Family:
Muhammad Yunus was born on June 28, 1940 in Bathua village of Hathajari upazila of Chittagong district. His father’s name is Haji Dula Mia Saudagar, and mother’s name is Sufia Khatun. Dr. Afroji Yunus, wife of Dr. Muhammad Yunus. In personal life, Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the father of two daughters. Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ brother Muhammad Ibrahim is a professor of physics at Dhaka University and his younger brother Muhammad Jahangir is a popular TV personality.
Education:
His first school was Mahajan Fakir’s School. Dr. Muhammad Yunus secured 16th place in the merit list in matriculation examination from Chittagong Collegiate School and got admission in Chittagong College. There he involved himself in cultural and political activities. In college he won first prize for acting in drama. He was also involved in editing literary magazines and writing columns in Azadi magazine. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was in the seventh grade and traveled to various countries in Asia and Europe including USA, Canada at the age of 15 on behalf of the Boy Scouts.
Work Life:
In 1957, Dr. Muhammad Yunus was admitted to the Department of Economics in Dhaka University with honors and completed his BA and MA from there. He then joined the Bureau of Economics as a Research Assistant. Later, he joined Chittagong College as a lecturer in 1962. He went to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship in 1965 and received his PhD in economics from Vanderbilt University, USA in 1969 on a full scholarship. Dr. Muhammad Yunus taught at Middle Tennessee State University from 1969 to 1972 before returning to Bangladesh. During the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, Dr. Muhammad Yunus was engaged in organizational work to build public opinion in favor of Bangladesh abroad and provide support to freedom fighters. Returning home in 1972, he joined Chittagong University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and served as the Head of the Department. He was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1975 and held this position till 1989.
Dr. Muhammad Yunus began his struggle against poverty in 1974 during the famine in Bangladesh. He realizes that small amounts of credit can be very effective in improving the quality of life of poor people. At that time he launched the Rural Economic Project for research purposes. In 1974, Dr. Muhammad Yunus established Tewaga farm which was acquired by the government under the package programme.
Establishment of Grameen Bank:
Dr. Muhammad Yunus established Grameen Bank in 1986 to provide loans to poor Bangladeshis. Since then, Grameen Bank has disbursed USD 5.1 billion in loans to 5.3 million borrowers. Grameen Bank uses “Sanhati Dal” system to ensure repayment of loan amount. An informal small group applies for loans together and its members act as guarantors for each other and help each other develop. As the scope of the bank expands, the bank also implements other methods to protect the poor. Microfinance is joined by other banking facilities including home loans, fish farms and irrigation credit schemes. The success of Grameen Bank in the economic development of the poor has encouraged the developed world and other industrialized countries including the United States to use this model of Grameen.
Published Books:
Among his notable works
Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the battle against World Proverty. (1998)
Three Farmers of Jobra; Department of Economics, Chittagong University; (1974)
Honors:
Dr. Muhammad Yunus has obtained 48 honorary doctorate degrees from different universities in different countries of the world. Peace Nobel laureate Grameen Bank founder Dr. Muhammad Yunus received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor of the United States. Yunus, who is the first Bangladeshi and Muslim to receive this medal, was awarded by the United States government in recognition of his contribution to the fight against poverty.
In the conference of the world’s richest two hundred people, Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was announced on Wednesday, May 5, 2013 at the United Nations building. The gathering of the world’s wealthiest people at the United Nations is organized by the world famous Forbes magazine. Dr. Muhammad Yunus was given this ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ as a social entrepreneur.
Awards:
President’s Award. (1978)
Ramon Magsaysay Award. (1984)
Central Bank Award. (1985)
Freedom Award (1987)
Aga Khan Award (1989)
Care Award. (1993)
Nobel Prize (Peace). (2006)
Philanthropy Award, USA. (1993)
Muhammad Sahebuddin Science (Socio-Economics) Award, Sri Lanka (1993)
Royal Admiral MA Khan Memorial Medal, Bangladesh (1993)
World Food Prize, United States (1994)
Pfeiffer Peace Prize, USA (1994)
Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Memorial Gold Medal, Bangladesh (1994)
Max Sachmidheini Foundation Freedom Prize, Switzerland (1995)
Dhaka Metropolitan Rotary Club Foundation Award, Bangladesh (1995)
International Simon Bolivar Award (1996)
Vanderbilt University Distinguished Alumni Award, USA (1996)
International Activist Award, USA (1997)
Planetary Consciousness Business Innovation Award, Germany (1997)
Help for Self Help Award, Norway (1997)
Man for Peace Award, Italy (1997)
World Forum Award, USA (1997)
One World Broadcasting Trust Media Award, UK (1998) World
The Prince of Austria Award for Concord, Spain (1998)
Sydney Peace Prize, Australia (1998)
Azaki (Gakudo) Award, Japan (1998)
Indira Gandhi Award, India (1998)
Juste of the Year Award, France (1998) (Les Justes D’or)
Rotary Award for World Understanding, USA (1999)
Golden Pegasus Award, Italy (1999)
Roma Award for Peace and Humanitarian, Italy (1999)
Rathindra Award, India (1998)
Omega Award of Excellence for Life Time Achievement, Switzerland (2000)
Award of the Medal of the Presidency, Italy (2000)
King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Award, Jordan (2000)
IDEB Gold Medal Award, Bangladesh (2000)
Artusi Prize, Italy (2001)
Grand Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize, Japan (2001)
Ho Chi Minh Prize, Vietnam (2001)
International Cooperation Award ‘Caja de Granada’, Spain (2001)
Navarre International Aid Award, Spain (2001)
Mahatma Gandhi Award, USA (2002)
World Technology Network Award, UK (2003)
Volvo Environment Award, Sweden (2003)
National Merit Award, Colombia (2003)
The Medal of the Painter Oswald Guayasmin Prize, France (2003)
Telichenko Prize, Spain (2004)
City of Orvieto Award, Italy (2004)
The Economist Innovation Award, USA (2004)
World Affairs Council Award, USA (2004)
Leadership in Social Entrepreneur Award, USA (2004)
Premio Galilei 2000 Special Prize for Peace 2004, Italy (2004)
Nikkei Asia Award, Japan (2004)
Golden Cross of the Civil Order of the Social Solidarity, Spain (2005)
Freedom Award, USA (2005)
Bangladesh Computer Society Gold Medal, Bangladesh (2005)
Prize 2 Ponte, Italy (2005)
Foundation of Justice, Spain (2005)
Harvard University Neustadt Award, USA (2006)
Globe Citizen of the Year Award, United States (2006)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Award, Netherlands (2006)
ITU World Information Organization Award, Switzerland (2006)
Seoul Peace Prize, Korea (2006)
Convivencia (Best Cooperation) Ceuta Award, Spain (2006)
Disaster Relief Award, India (2006)
Best Bengali, India (2006)
Global Trailblazer Award, USA (2007)
ABICC Award for Leadership in Global Trade, USA (2007)
Social Entrepreneurship Award, USA (2007)
World Enterprise Leadership Award, USA (2007)
Red Cross Gold Medal, Spain (2007)
Rabindranath Tagore Birth Centenary Commemoration, India (2007)
EFR Business Week Award, Netherlands (2007)
Nicholls Chancellor’s Medal, USA (2007)
Vision Award, Germany (2007)
Buffy Global Achievement Award, USA (2007)
Rubin Museum Mandala Award, USA (2007)
Sakal Personality of the Year Award, India (2007)
1st AHPADA Global Award, Philippines (2007)
Medal of Honor, Brazil (2007)
United Nations South-South Cooperation Award, USA (2007)
Project Entrepreneur Award, USA (2008)
International Women’s Health Mission Award, New York (2008)
Kitakyushu Environmental Prize, Japan (2008)
Chancellor’s Medal, USA (2008)
President’s Medal, USA (2008)
Human Security Award, USA (2008)
Annual Development Award, Ostia (2008)
Human Service Award, USA (2008)
Children’s Friend Award, Spain (2008)
AGI International Science Prize, Germany (2008)
Karini International Book Award, Germany (2008)
Two Wings Prize, Germany (2008)
World Humanitarian Award, California (2008)
World Affairs Council Award, California (2008)
Estril Global Issues’ Distinguished Book Prize, Portugal (2009)
Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service, USA (2009)
Golden Biatec Award, Slovakia (2009)
Gold Medal of Honor Award, USA (2009)
Presidential Medal of Freedom, USA (2009)
PICMET Award, Portland (2009)
Beirut Leadership Award (2009)
Solarworld Einstein Award (2010).
The name of this great man became famous as the chief advisor in the interim government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, which is currently formed.
Information: Dr. Muhammad Yunus Biography