Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged young people around the world to be visionary and courageous in turning their dreams into reality, stressing their power to create meaningful change in society.
He made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of young political activists from Sweden and Norway at the State Guest House Jamuna yesterday.
“People say youth is the future; I say youth is the present,” Yunus told the visiting group.
“The world is changing fast, and today’s youth are not the same as previous generations. Your upbringing and access to technology make you a different kind of human being — almost a superhuman. All you need to do is ask yourself, ‘What kind of world do I want to create?’ Then commit to it; you have the tools to make it happen,” the chief adviser said.
Led by Ambassador Nicolas Weeks of Sweden and Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen of Norway, the delegation included young political leaders from diverse parties: Alice Landerholm (Moderate Youth Party), Arian Twana (Social Democratic Youth Party), Anton Holmlund (Liberal Youth Party), Dexter Krokstedt (Sweden Democrats Youth), Hanna Lindqvist (Green Youth Party), and Max Pelin (Christian Democratic Youth Party) from Sweden; and Oda Røhme Sivertsen (Young Conservatives), Lars Mikael Barstad Løvold (Progress Party Youth), and Syver Kleve Kolstad (Red Youth) from Norway.
They were accompanied by UNDP representatives Stefan Liller (Resident Representative, Bangladesh), Caroline Aberg (Deputy Director, Nordic Representation Office), Kirtijai Pahari (Strategic Communications and External Relations Specialist), and Emilie Andresen (Communications Analyst).
During the meeting, the chief adviser engaged the young politicians in discussions about their political visions and experiences. The delegates sought his advice and asked questions about the July Uprising, youth participation, institutional reforms, and the upcoming national election.
“July was a historic moment, especially because so many young women stood up against a fascist regime,” Prof Yunus said. “You’ve come at a time when Bangladesh is undergoing significant transformation. I hope you take the time to meet our young people and learn about their aspirations.”
“They (the July revolutionaries) demanded institutional reform, especially of the constitution, which they saw as a root cause of fascism. We formed several reform commissions. To build consensus among political parties, we established a Consensus Commission. Over thirty parties took part in debates for months. Finally, all parties reached a consensus, and we’re preparing to sign the July Charter this month. This will be a historic moment for our nation. I don’t know of any other country where such a process has taken place,” he said.
The chief adviser encouraged the visiting youth leaders to explore Bangladesh firsthand.
“Every street here tells a story. The graffiti, the wall art, the writings you’re walking through are a living museum of youth resistance and dreams,” he said.
The discussion also touched on Professor Yunus’s Three Zeros concept — aimed at creating a new civilisation — as well as his idea of social business, which focuses on solving social problems through entrepreneurship.
The Three Zeros represent a world of Zero Net Carbon Emissions, Zero Wealth Concentration to end poverty, and Zero Unemployment by unleashing entrepreneurship in all.
