By Amirul Islam, New York – Sept 24, 2025
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today called on world leaders to create an economy based on dignity, shared prosperity, and resilience, ensuring that “no one is left behind.”
Speaking at the opening session of the First Biennial Summit for a Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Global Economy at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Prof. Yunus stressed that the commitments made at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development must be translated into concrete actions.
“This is a moment full of both promise and responsibility,” he said, noting that closing the $4 trillion annual investment gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is daunting but absolutely necessary.
Prof. Yunus emphasized that the voices of marginalized communities must guide global actions. “In Bangladesh, we believe poverty should never be a barrier to one’s dreams,” he said. He noted that when women are empowered to start businesses, young people gain access to solar energy and technology, and children receive education, nutrition, and sanitation, the transformations become real and lasting.
Citing the Seville Commitment as a framework for action, Prof. Yunus urged stronger domestic resource mobilization, efforts to curb illicit financial flows, empowerment of development banks, and greater institutional accountability.
Outlining five key priorities for better financing the SDGs, Prof. Yunus said the first step must be to fairly mobilize domestic resources with international support. He called for progressive and transparent tax systems to ensure that multinational corporations pay their fair share. Ongoing negotiations under the UN Framework on International Tax Cooperation must address these global inequities, he added.
He warned that UN budget cuts or shrinking Official Development Assistance (ODA) would be counterproductive for countries like Bangladesh, which is simultaneously hosting 1.3 million Rohingyas and facing climate shocks and economic challenges. “Global support must expand,” he stressed.
His second priority focused on leveraging innovative finance and social business. Prof. Yunus said blended finance and enterprises that reinvest profits to address social challenges are proven engines of job creation, inclusion, and dignity.
Third, he called for reforming the global financial architecture and debt governance to give developing nations a stronger voice. “Debt should be a tool for resilience and development, not austerity,” he stated.
The fourth priority was enforcing transparency, preventing illicit financial flows, and ensuring citizen participation. “People, especially youth, must know how resources are used and hold institutions accountable,” he said.
Finally, Prof. Yunus urged accelerated investments in areas most critical for the vulnerable — resilient housing, climate-smart agriculture, healthcare, education, and nature-based solutions — to build a safer and more equitable future.
