198 global leaders express strong support for people of Bangladesh, Dr Yunus

A total of 198 global leaders including 92 Nobel laureates and former US President Barack Obama have expressed their strong support for the people of Bangladesh and Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus.

A statement signed by the 198 global leaders was released yesterday (4 September) online, in a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post, and through a press release.

The full statement given below:

'A Message to the People of Bangladesh and Citizens of Goodwill Throughout the World'

We the undersigned are excited to publicly share our congratulations and heartfelt good wishes to Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the new interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Professor Yunus, like others in Bangladesh, has suffered under the yoke of autocracy. Today, thanks to the power of a democratic and student-led protest, that autocracy has been replaced by hope. As Professor Yunus has said, Bangladesh is now enjoying its second liberation, and it has the chance to fulfil its great potential as a nation.  We have been proud to have supported Professor Yunus over the years. It is the beginning of an exciting new dawn for Bangladesh, and we wish him and the people of Bangladesh peace and success in the months and years ahead. We are excited to see Professor Yunus finally free to work for the uplift of the entire country, especially the most marginalized, a calling he has pursued with great vigour and success across six decades. Just as the nation's young people have inspired him, we know that he will inspire them to play a leadership role in bringing a bright new future to Bangladesh. We are also confident that he will inspire millions of young people around the world, including those in the Bangladeshi diaspora, to improve society for the better. We applaud the interim government's commitment to bring free and fair elections back to Bangladesh and its commitment to allowing democracy to flourish. We stand ready to help in any way we can to support the efforts of Bangladesh and the interim government to lead the world in creating a new and better civilization, as Professor Yunus has repeatedly called for.