By NJ Thakuria Guwahati:

Yunus Centre of Bangladesh and National Central University (NCU) have agreed to create a Yunus Social Business Centre (YSBC) in the acclaimed public university of Taiwan. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was ceremonially signed on April 14, 2014 between the Yunus Centre and NCU in presence of mayor John Chils-Yang Wu, deans, faculties and other dignitaries at the prestigious 99 year old public university.

“The objective of the centre will be to offer courses and research facilities in social business, conduct social business design labs, conference, undertake exchange program, academic workshop, encourage and train business executives to create social businesses, promote Yunus’s vision of creating a world without poverty and unemployment,” said a statement of Dhaka based Yunus Centre.

The MoU was signed by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus on behalf of Yunus Centre and Dr. Jing-Yang Jou, president of National Central University, Taiwan. Professor Yunus paid a visit to Taiwan from April 10 to 14 at the invitation of NCU and the Rotary Club of Taiwan. “A Nobel chair was also unveiled in honor of Professor Yunus at NCU.

A plaque is placed on the three person garden bench where one can read the accomplishments of the Nobel laureate. There are already 29 Nobel laureate ‘chairs’ created for 29 Nobel laureates, placed at different points around the specious green area of the university. The newly crafted chair, 30th in the series, was unveiled and added to honor Professor Yunus,” added the Yunus Centre statement. Professor Yunus, who has received 2006 Nobel peace award jointly with his creation Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, has developed the idea of social business where the profit would come not in form of cash but with social benefits for those needy people.

The lone Nobel laureate of Bangladesh with 160 million population has delivered numerous lectures for the young people across the globe and preached the conscious citizens for coming forward to create a poverty free world with due opportunities to all. Professor Yunus also addressed a Rotary club conference in Taipei and a master forum organized by the Chinese association for corporate transformation, innovation & advancement.

The meeting at the international convention centre attracted over 3000 young people of Taipei, whom Professor Yunus told them that they have build the future.

The articulate orator also emphasized that the young people should not simply live through what they have inherited from the past, rather ‘they have the power to create a completely new world, without any trace of old problems created in the old world’. Hau Lung-bin, Taipei mayor formally handed over a framed certificate awarding Professor Yunus the honorary citizenship of Taipei city.

The First Lady of Taiwan Lin Hwai Min, who has been a long time fan of Professor Yunus, also showed her gesture to the visionary banker turned social business crusader.