Ipoh declared first Social Business City in Malaysia
Yunus Centre Press Release(5 September, 2016 ):
A formal joint-declaration was made to make Ipoh as the first Social Business City of Malaysia by the Chief Minister of Perak, Mayor of Perak, CEO of MyHarapan, a youth organization of Malaysia, and Yunus Centre. Ipoh is the capital of Northern Malaysian state of Perak. The declaration came on opening day of the three day long Pangkor International Development Dialogue 2016 being held in Perak, Malaysia from 5-7 September 2016. Ipoh is following the example of social business cities created in other countries.
Earlier on, Sunday 4 September, 2016 Professor Yunus gave recommendations and guidelines to the Perak Social Business City Committee on how Ipoh can become an effective social business city. This committee was created for the preparation and implementation of the project on the eve of the dialogue.
Professor Yunus also delivered the keynote speech at this year’s Pangkor Dialogue which is one of the largest knowledge exchange dialogue in Southeast Asia focusing on Sustainable Development. Over a thousand delegates, including ministerial level delegates from India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Bahrain, and Guinea are attending the conference.
During his keynote speech, Professor Yunus revisited his early days of building Grameen Bank and how Malaysia became the first country to adopt the Grameen Bank methodology. Professor Yunus also shared the evolution of Grameen initiatives and how it is operating social business in different sectors like healthcare, education, technology to address social problems.
During his speech, Professor Yunus brought attention to the fact of massive wealth concentration in the hands of a few people and the dangerous consequences of that, and proposed that social business could be an important tool to tackle those problems in both developing and developed countries. He also stressed on the importance of reforming the education system to realize our dream of a poverty free, unemployment free and inequality free world.
On September 4, the day before the forum, Professor Yunus was chief guest at day long social business forum where social business practitioners, academics and enthusiasts gathered together from all across Malaysia. During the day-long forum, a new Yunus Social Business Centre was announced at the University Technology Petronas, founded by government owned oil and gas company Petronas. Professor Dr Ahmad Fadzil bin Mohamad Hani, Deputy Vice Chancellor, led the MOU signing session from the side of the university. The new Centre has been established to foster social business innovation connecting new technologies at the university.
Professor Yunus also had a bilateral meeting with the Chief Minister of Perak, Dato Seri DiRaja Dr Zambry Bin Abdul Kadir, host of the Pangkor Dialogue, on how to take forward social business and the social business city initiative in Ipoh. He and a 50 member delegation had visited Bangladesh earlier this year to explore how they can bring social business into Perak State's development program.
Photo Caption -1 : Dato' Zamri Bin Man, Mayor of Ipoh, Perak Malaysia presenting the Social Business City pledge memento to Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus at the Pangkor International Development Dialogue 2016 opening day on 5 September, 2016 witnessed by key stakeholders. Photo: Yunus Centre
Photo Caption -2 : Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus is articulating the vision of an ideal social busienss city during the International Social Business Forum in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia on 4 September, 2016. Ipoh is to be announced as the first social business city in Malaysia during the Pangkor Dialogue 2016. Photo: Yunus Centre
Photo Caption - 3 : Professor Muhammad Yunus formally launching the new Yunus Social Business Centre at the University Technology Petronas, Malaysia on 4 September, 2016. Photo: Yunus Centre
Source: Yunus Centre
Updated Date: 18th January, 2017