US Senate okays bill to honour Yunus

The United States Senate has unanimously approved a bill to award Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus a Congressional Gold Medal.

The bill, introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT), recognises Prof Yunus as a leading figure in fighting poverty and promoting economic and social opportunity.

The senate approved the bill on October 15, according to a report published in Microfinance Focus, a US-based global magazine on microfinance and sustainable development.

Yunus and his Grameen Bank were awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.

US President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom on August 12.

The Congressional Gold Medal is considered the congressional equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded to individuals who perform an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.

“Dr Muhammad Yunus believes overcoming poverty is not just a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right the right to dignity and a decent life,” said Durbin.

“He is truly deserving of the Congressional Gold Medal and I am honoured to call him a friend.

“Over the last thirty years, his theory of micro-enterprise has become a phenomenon touching the lives of more than 100 million people around the world. It is hard to think of any single idea in our lifetime which has lifted so many people out of the deepest depths of poverty.”

Former recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include George Washington, Sir Winston Churchill, Elie Wiesel, Pope John Paul II, Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott King.