Global leaders express ‘deep concerns’ for Dr Yunus

Forty global leaders expressed their "deep concerns for the well-being" of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus in an open letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"It is painful to see Prof Yunus, a man of impeccable integrity, and his life's work unfairly attacked and repeatedly harassed and investigated by your government," they said in the letter that also appeared as a full-page ad in the Washington Post on March 7.

They said, "It is out of this deep respect for your country that we write to urge you to take positive steps to support and recognise the great contributions of one of your most notable citizens, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus."

"We have deep concerns for Professor Yunus' well-being and his ability to contribute to humanitarian advancement in Bangladesh and around the world. As we are sure you are aware, Muhammad Yunus' contributions to Bangladesh, especially to the very poor and the most vulnerable, and also to the world, are recognised and honored around the globe."

The letter mentioned that Prof Yunus is one of seven people in history to have received the Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the US Congressional Gold Medal, a group that includes Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, and Elie Wiesel.

He founded Grameen Bank in 1976 grew it to a world-renowned poverty-fighting institution of 9 million borrowers, 97 percent of them women, that has lifted millions out of poverty and been a model for other microcredit programs around the world.

The letter also said Yunus has not benefited financially from his involvement in Grameen Telecom or GrameenPhone. Rather, he has devoted himself to the poverty-fighting missions of the many organisations he has established and lives modestly in Dhaka.

"We believe one of the most important roles of government is to create an environment where traditional and social entrepreneurs can flourish. We hope that Bangladesh will return to its role as a model for other developing nations of how a vibrant civil society can be nurtured to ensure sustainable progress. A good first step would be to recognize Professor Yunus' achievements and allow him to focus his energy on doing more good for your country and for the world, rather than on defending himself," said the global leaders.

Signatories to the letter are:

Bono, musician and activist; Sir Richard Branson, founder, Virgin Group; Lord Mark Malloch Brown, president, Open Society Foundations; Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State; Sam Daley-Harris, founder, RESULTS and Civic Courage; Lt Gen (rtd) Romeo Dallaire, founder, Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security; Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president emerita, Children's Defense Fund; Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico; Peter Gabriel, musician; Ron Garan, former Nasa astronaut, and Kul Gautam, former deputy executive director of Unicef and assistant secretary general of the UN.

Pamela Gillies, former vice chancellor and professor emerita, Glasgow Caledonian University; Peter C Goldmark, Jr, former CEO, Rockefeller Foundation and Int'l Herald Tribune; Jane Goodall, primatologist and activist; Al Gore, former vice president of the US; John Hewko, CEO, Rotary International; Mo Ibrahim, entrepreneur and philanthropist; Baroness Helena Kennedy, KC Member of the House of Lords UK; Kerry Kennedy, president, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; Ted Kennedy Jr; Vinod Khosla, venture capitalist, and Ban Ki-moon, 8th secretary general of the UN.

Annie Lennox, singer, songwriter, and activist; Arthur Levitt, former chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission; Gene Ludwig, founder and CEO, Springharbor Holdings & Former US Comptroller of the Currency; Paul Maritz, former CEO of VMWare; Michael H Moskow, former president and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Narayana Murthy, founder, Infosys; Sir Robin Niblett, former chief executive, Chatham House; Jan Piercy, advisor, Southern Bancorporation, former US board director, World Bank; Robert Post, sterling professor of Law, Yale Law School; Donald Riegle, former US Senator from Michigan, former chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development, and Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland.

Ellen Seidman; Yeardley Smith, actress; Sharon Stone, mother; Dr David Suzuki, prof emeritus, University of British Columbia; Peter Tufano, former dean, Saïd School of Business, Oxford University; Melanne Verveer, former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, and Jimmy Wales, founder, Wikipedia.