DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 28 (IPS) – As Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus emerged from a meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF), Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta came forward to greet him, a demonstration of how warmly the global leaders and dignitaries received the person tasked with leading the interim government.
During his four-day tour, Yunus participated in at least 47 formal events at the WEF, including with four heads of government or state, four minister-level dignitaries, ten heads or top executives of UN or similar organisations, 10 CEOs/high-level business persons, nine WEF-organized programmes, eight media engagements and two other events.
During the meetings, the Bangladesh interim government chief discussed a range of issues: the Bangladesh economy, the recovery of stolen money, Bangladesh reform agendas, the Rohingya crisis, social business and investment.
During a discussion with Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, he described the process of rebuilding the country, including restoring law and order and the economy and this involved understanding where the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had left the country.
“After so many killings, the law and order situation became very critical …The next thing you do is build up the economy again; let the economic machine run … Immediately after that, I tried to appoint a committee to prepare a white paper so they were stocktaking… to understand what we inherited from the previous government.”
Yunus said he was shocked by the amount of money laundered from the country. “The estimated calculation was about USD 17 billion from the banking system that just loaned that away.”
In addition, over- and under-invoicing and other legal channels resulted in USD 16 billion per year being shifted away—it was as if a tornado had hit the economy.
Yunus said they needed to secure the garment industry.
It was also necessary to restore trust in the judicial system where people had disappeared and many, especially the political opposition, were charged with unspecified charges during the 16 years of rule. Even Yunus himself was to be arrested, he told Schwab.
Despite the issues, he was optimistic that the young people were the solution; however, the changes needed were qualitative.
The young generation in Bangladesh was creating their own world through entrepreneurship and technology and should be consulted in their future—even allowed to vote at 16 rather than the traditional 18 years of age.
“They’re smarter than any other generation because of the technology they have. They (already) know what we’ll be teaching them today. There’s nothing surprising for them.”
Resolve Rohingya Crisis
Included among world leaders Yunus met was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed eagerness to meet the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the circumstances that led to the July uprising in Bangladesh, Bangladesh’s relationship with its neighbours, the Rohingya crisis, and the security situation in Myanmar.
Resolving the Rohingya Crisis
Yunus sought Scholz’s cooperation in creating a safe zone for Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine State under the supervision of the United Nations (UN).
Scholz agreed, saying, “You can be assured that we will support you.”
In August 2017, the Myanmar army started an armed breakdown on Rohingya Muslim minorities in Rakhine State and forced them to flee their homes and take shelter in Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosts over one million Rohingya refugees as of June 2024, according to the UNHCR. The majority of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
