Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said that social business holds the potential to not only transform Bangladesh but also change the world.
Speaking at the opening session of the two-day Social Business Day at the Samajik Convention Centre in Zirabo, Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, he emphasized that social business is the most effective way to ensure healthcare for all. He stated that this approach could be instrumental in addressing the key challenges facing the global healthcare sector.
“This is the only right way to guarantee universal healthcare,” Professor Yunus said, stressing that the social business model offers a sustainable solution where conventional systems have often failed.
This year marks the 15th edition of Social Business Day, jointly organized by the Yunus Centre and the Grameen Group. The theme of this year’s event is “Social Business is the Most Effective Way to Ensure Healthcare for All.”
More than 1,400 participants from 38 countries are attending the two-day conference, which aims to serve as a global platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience, and innovation. The event seeks to find practical solutions to inequality and structural limitations in healthcare and other key sectors, with the goal of building a more sustainable, just, and humane world.
The programme includes five plenary sessions and eight breakout sessions, featuring diverse perspectives and forward-thinking ideas from across the globe.
Notable speakers expected to join the event include:
- Professor Md. Saidur Rahman, Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Health & Family Welfare
- Omar Ishrak, former CEO & Chairman of Medtronic and former Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation
- Dr. Ismail Serageldin, former Vice President of the World Bank
- Erik Solheim, former Executive Director of UN Environment and former Minister of Environment and Climate of Norway
Advisers to the interim government, senior government officials, and foreign diplomats based in Dhaka were also present at the opening ceremony.