New Delhi: Chief Advisor of the interim government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus on Saturday promised to bring about reforms to all levels of state structure in his country while inviting world leaders to visit Dhaka, saying “otherwise you may miss something important”.
“You all are aware that Bangladesh witnessed a ‘Second Revolution’ on August 5, 2024, through a mass uprising spearheaded by our valiant students and joined by the masses,” Bangladesh media outlets quoted him as saying while addressing the Third Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS) hosted on the virtual mode by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi. “Our young generation has impressed upon the people their aspirations for a revolutionary change, restoration of all institutions of the state to ensure democracy and human rights through a meaningful reform.”
This was Yunus’s first participation in a multilateral summit as de facto head of government. He assumed office as Chief Advisor of the interim government that was formed on August 8 after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to flee the country on August 5 in the face of a popular uprising led by the youth and students in protest against her policies and style of governance. Hasina is currently taking shelter in India.
During his address, Yunus highlighted the interim government’s commitment to “ensuring a transition to an inclusive and pluralistic democracy and creating an environment in which free, fair and participatory elections can be held”.
“Our task is now to carry out vital reforms in our electoral system, judiciary, local government, media, economy and education,” he said.
He also compared the uprising against Hasina with the 1952 language movement in Bangladesh.
“In 1952, the Bangladeshi students sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue,” he said. “It inspired struggles for the right to speak in mother languages all over the world. Some seven decades later our students-led Second Revolution is inspiring youth throughout the Global South to raise their voice for democracy, human rights, dignity, equality and shared prosperity.”
He also emphasised the importance of placing the youth and students of the world at the heart of global strategies.
"Two-thirds of our population are youth,” Yunus, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, said. “They are the most powerful segment of society. They are different. They are committed to creating a new world.”
Describing today’s youth and students of the world as capable, he said that they are “technologically far ahead of the previous generation”.
"We must place the youth and students, who constitute a significant portion of the Global South’s population, at the heart of our strategies,” he said. “…They can make all impossible possible.”
He said that his life-long experience has been that “our financial system is created to promote wealth concentration”.
“We have to redesign our financial system to make sure wealth is shared by all,” the Bangladesh Chief Advisor asserted. “It should not be a one-way path for wealth. We must ensure financial services for all people, particularly women and youth.”
In an interesting aside, Yunus invited participating leaders in the summit to visit Dhaka soon.
“Otherwise you may miss something important,” he said, adding that much of Dhaka has been turned into the graffiti capital of the world.
He went on to describe how young students and children aged as young as 12-13 years have been painting the walls of the 400-year-old city with images of a “new, democratic, environment-friendly Bangladesh”.
“There is no central planning or guidance for that. No budget support from anybody. It is just an outpouring of their emotions and commitment to the goals of the Second Revolution. It is our job to make their dreams come true,” Yunus said.
The VOGSS is an initiative launched by India to bring together countries from the Global South to discuss shared challenges and priorities. It emphasises the importance of South-South cooperation, where developing countries can collaborate, share resources, and support each other’s development goals. It seeks to build solidarity among the nations of the Global South and reduce dependence on the traditional powers of the Global North.
The overarching theme of the Third VOGSS hosted by India on Saturday is ‘An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future’.
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