Washington, Oct 16 (V7N)- Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Grameen Bank founder Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has received the prestigious Hillary Rodham Clinton Award at a ceremony held at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the award to Yunus, the former chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, at a ceremony held at the university’s Gaston Hall on Thursday, local time.

According to a press release issued on Friday, October 16, around 400 guests from approximately 25 countries attended the event, including ambassadors, entrepreneurs, academics and researchers. The audience gave Yunus a prolonged standing ovation when his name was announced.

Four individuals received honours this year. The other recipients were Rima Nanavaty, director of India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); fashion designer and Tory Burch Foundation founder Tory Burch; and Muna Sukhtian, board chair of Jordan’s Microfund for Women. Sukhtian received the special Georgetown Ambassadors Award.

Clinton Praises Yunus’s Work on Women’s Empowerment

Presenting the award, Clinton praised Yunus’s contributions to microfinance and women’s empowerment, recalling her experience observing Grameen Bank’s work.

She said the bank had helped women become financially self-reliant, strengthen their security and gain greater empowerment. She also noted that Yunus’s work had expanded beyond Bangladesh to communities around the world.

In his acceptance speech, Yunus reflected on five decades of work and said the recognition would send an important message to Bangladesh and inspire rural families.

He highlighted Grameen Bank’s role in helping people living in extreme poverty improve their economic circumstances through microfinance, with a particular focus on women.

Yunus said the initiative had helped transform the lives of many women, who were increasingly confident in expressing their needs and managing their financial affairs. He also emphasised that women borrowers were owners of Grameen Bank.

Yunus Urges Young People to Become Entrepreneurs

Discussing the next generation, Yunus said the children of Grameen Bank borrowers should be encouraged to create employment rather than simply seek jobs.

“We are not job seekers, we are job providers,” he said, urging young people to establish businesses and contribute to employment generation.

He also reiterated his concept of social business, explaining that its primary purpose was to address social problems rather than generate personal profit.

Yunus said social-business initiatives in the healthcare sector were helping establish hospitals, health centres and eye hospitals in different parts of Bangladesh. Surpluses generated by these institutions, he said, were reinvested in healthcare services.

Plans for a Rural University

Criticising the existing education system, Yunus said it placed excessive emphasis on preparing young people for employment instead of encouraging creativity, initiative and entrepreneurship.

He argued that universities and educational institutions should help students develop the skills and confidence needed to establish their own businesses.

Yunus expressed hope that a proposed “Rural University” could be launched by the end of this year to advance that vision.

He said the institution would encourage students to move beyond pursuing academic certificates and focus on becoming entrepreneurs. It would also seek to provide the support needed to start businesses, including access to financing.

Yunus added that the proposed university could contribute to his vision of a “world of three zeros”: zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions. He described the initiative as a potential new beginning for efforts to reform education and expand entrepreneurial opportunities.

END/SMA/AJ