Won the Nobel Peace prize in 2006 for his idea of microcredit and is proud to say that his country, Bangladesh, has already reduced poverty by half
Now comes to Spain his last book, ‘A world of three zeros’, where it proposes to establish a new model of capitalism
For Muhammad Yunus it has been said already everything. It is known as the banker of the poor because, in the 70 years of the last century, initiated a project to look modest but revolutionary, offer a line of credit very young women of the community in which he was teaching at a university in Bangladesh, his native country. The scope of the epic, replicated in many countries, given its success, we did win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and, recently, various studies carried out by economists of repute criticized his work as, after all, was practically a failure, and providing data on the number of suicides among those who could not even pay micro-loans.
But Yunus does not seem to take into account the controversial but keep looking toward where, according to him, should be, that is, down. This week it publishes in Spain his last book, A world of three zeros (editorial Paidós), in which he argues that “a new model of capitalism is possible” if we attend to three basic principles: “to Adopt the concept of social enterprise, to change the idea that people are working by viewing them as entrepreneurs, and to redesign the financial system to be effective with those who occupy the bottom of the economic scale”.
Of all these issues, and other more personal was able to speak to Paper with this Nobel when he was finished October in the celebration in The Hague (the Netherlands) in a meeting that brings together, from a decade ago, the younger leaders of the world: One Young World. To them, Yunus told them to “think big but start small” and, above all, who dared to think of what, apparently, does not seem real, “because it will lead to action”.
But how is Yunus in the face-to-face? I suggest a quick look at your eyes in the picture that illustrates this page: Yunus is warm, extremely friendly and smiling, when their press officers seek to have the interview end he wants to keep talking.
do You remember the first woman who you lent money?Was called Sophia, and dedicated himself to the craft, which made from bamboo. She was a trigger, already passed away. He could not sell by itself its products because it had not the few dollars that were needed to buy the bamboo; a lender was selling, but he was put as a condition that all of their production out to him, and at the price that he decided.The sustainable development goals of the UN occupies a key place in your new essay. Do you really can eradicate poverty by 2030? Of truth is that yes. Clear that it is possible, yes, yes. In fact, the first challenge of the millennium goals of the UN was to reduce poverty by half before 2015 and that has been achieved for example in Bangladesh, which is where I am. What is more, in my country was achieved in 2012. If Bangladesh has done, you can do this any country.Give us some tricks, please. The only trick is to do it from well below, to work by protect the real poor and, especially, to help women.You had always focused on start for them, also. Why? Because if you help the women you’re helping the community, this is so.
The Objectives of the Millennium Development goals (MDGS) to which it adheres Yunus were established following the Millennium summit of the United Nations held in 2000. The 189 member states of the UN at that time and, at least 22 international organizations committed to help achieve them in 2015. Then came more goals and extended the date up to 2030. For Yunus, as well as mind in his essay -which takes as its motto “the new economics of poverty, zero unemployment, zero, and zero net carbon emissions” – “the very existence of the MDGS represents a milestone in the history of mankind. The optimists celebrate the achievements made in the world thanks to the MDGS, while the pessimists point out only the failures of the MDGS,” he continues.
do you Have the feeling that the social awareness has increased in recent years?Totally. People are starting to pay attention. What is missing is that institutions also change, not to continue repeating the same actions. Politicians remain concentrated in the power. And neither does the government give money because that is not the solution, give free stuff only serves to hide the problem.Maybe the younger generation of today can achieve the needed changes?Exactly. I’m not sure that the politicians who now govern understand the world in which we live, but it is very possible that the next generation of politicians, the generation of young people, what to get, because they look different.
He now can get a glimpse of the Balkans, where he argues the development of social enterprises as Udruzene, which manufactures handicraft products of knit and crochet. The founder fled the war with 19 years and ended in Paris. In a return to the home discovered the tissues of their rural women and saw an opportunity for creative and social. Udruzune, in bosnian, means hands united. And in any other language Yunus must mean something similar.
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