GLOBAL ASSEMBLY 2010
Some Exciting Developments
The Centre for Development (CfD), in association with the University of Glasgow, organized a day-long Global Assembly on 4th July 2010.
The Global Assembly has indeed marked the beginning of exciting Net Generation Decade of the 2010s - sustainable community-building system design, youth job-creation and open-source innovative entrepreneurial network - which would eventually replace the mindset of a dismal science with the joy of economics going way above zero-sum games.
Dr Zasheem Ahmed, Convener of the Global Assembly 2010, welcomed the audience and briefly explained the theme of the Global Assembly Conference - Tackling Poverty and Inequality for a Fairer World’. Prof Anton Muscatelli, Principal of Glasgow University gave the welcome address, Prof Graham Caie introduced Nobel Prize winning Grameen Bank Champion Prof Muhammad Yunus, and Prof Yunus opened the Conference.
Prof John Struthers of the University of West of Scotland (UWS) Business School led the First Session with a Scottish focus on ‘Trickle-Up’ Community initiatives directed at tackling financial exclusion, deprivation and income inequality in Scotland. Prof Graham Caie, Vice Principal of Glasgow University, led the Second Session with a global focus on social mission-driven education, research and development policy profiles including a number of social business and job-creating initiatives aimed at addressing poverty and inequality, and undertaking community-building Grameen-type projects in countries around the globe. In both the sessions, a total of 25 groundbreaking presentations were made including Prof Yunus’s useful interventions. Also, three presentations were made by Winners of Social Business Essay Competition – Robbie Marwick (University of Edinburgh), Antonia Maryam Rofagha (St Andrews University) and Monica Jahangir (Paris - Pantheon Sorbonne University).
Professor M Yunus delivered his interactive speech to the conference on community-building system design and job creation. He mentioned that in creating a foothold on the basis of income-generating activity, undertaking social cause-driven entrepreneurial ventures are better approaches than welfare dependence and/or charity. He further emphasized that the ‘Grameen Way’ – ‘microcredit’ and ‘social business’ - has proved a viable solution to lift millions out of poverty. As such, the ‘bottom-up development’ is an effective approach to meaningfully promote and assist the most disadvantaged live with dignity.
Dr Zasheem Ahmed summed up the Global Assembly conference as producing a remarkable premise for emerging ‘Social Business and New Economics’ idea as a paradigm shift, while dealing with such diverse issues as the reduction of relative disadvantages, poverty and income inequality, community empowerment, fairer banking and credit, etc. On behalf of the The Centre for Development (CfD), he also made landmark announcement on the launch of a new interdisciplinary quarterly journal - Journal of Social Business (JSB) - Inaugural issue was subsequently published in January 2011.
A brief Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing session took place between Prof Anton Muscatelli and Prof Muhammad Yunus - aimed at establishing ‘Yunus Institute of Social Business’ at Glasgow University and forging collaborations in diverse areas of co-operation between University of Glasgow and the Yunus Centre, Dhaka.
Finally, Prof Graham Caie offered a Vote of Thanks on behalf of the University of Glasgow and The Centre for Development (CfD). The Conference concluded, followed by a brief session of Prof Yunus’s signing of his book, Building Social Business – The New Kind of Capitalism (2010).
After a Celebratory Dinner in honour of Prof Yunus, joined by over 150 conference participants and guests, the day-long event concluded with a brief East-West (Bengali and Scottish) dance and music performances, presented by The Nazrul-Burns Centre (The Centre for East-West Arts and Cultural Excellence). This part of the Global Assembly was held at the Glasgow University Union Complex.
LIST OF PRESENTATIONS AT THE GLOBAL ASSEMBLY CONFERENCE: 04 JULY 2010
Venue: Charles Wilson Lecture Hall, Glasgow University, Scotland
Session 1: Community Initiatives to Tackle Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland
Chair: Prof John Struthers, University of the West of Scotland, Scotland
Jackie Cropper, Grand Central Savings, Glasgow – ‘Assisting the Disadvantaged’.
Dr Rev Graham Blount, University of Edinburgh – ‘Henry Duncan’s Legacy of Savings Bank in Addressing Poverty’.
Brian Togher, GEMAP, Glasgow - ‘Greater Easterhouse Anti-Poverty Project Approach to Financial Inclusion’.
Antonia Maryam Rofagha, Microfinance Society, St Andrews University –‘Students’ Creative Enterprise Initiative’.
John McCormack, Capital Credit Union, Edinburgh – ‘The Role of Credit Union in Addressing the Disadvantages of the Financially Excluded’.
Robbie Marwick, Economics Society, University of Edinburgh – ‘Students’ Social Enterprise Initiative’.
Faisel Rahman, Fair Finance, UK – ‘Microfinance in the United Kingdom’.
Martin Johnstone, Church of Scotland Ministries Council, Glasgow – ‘The Church of Scotland’s Model of Community Engagement in Scotland’s Poorest Neighborhoods’.
Dharmendra Kanani, Big Lottery Fund, Scotland – ‘Social Change from the Lottery Funds’.
Charlotte Atta, KARIBU, Glasgow – ‘African Women’s Microcredit Project in Glasgow’.
Mick Jackson, Wildhearts in Action, Scotland – ‘Business as a Force for Good’.
Ellen McCance, Working for Environmental Community Action Now (We CAN) Project, Fife - ‘WE CAN Bank: Growing Social Capital’.
Second Session: Bottom-Up Approach Furthering Multiplier Effect
Chair: Prof Graham Caie, University of Glasgow, Scotland
Chris Macrae, Youth Futures and Network Mapmaker, Washington, DC, USA - ‘Entrepreneurial Revolution - 33rd Year Update of Norman Macrae’s Survey’.
Eric Meade, Institute for Alternative Futures, Rockefeller Foundation, USA – ‘The Future of Microfinance Impact Assessment’.
Jean-Luc Perron, Grameen Agricole Microfinance Foundation, France – ‘The Importance and Relevance of Professor Yunus and Social Business’.
Eugenio La Mesa, Cure2Children, Italy – ‘Grameen-Cure2Children Social Business to Cure Thalassemia’.
Samantha Caccamo, Social Business Earth, Italy – ‘Tackling Healthcare Problems Through a Social Business Model’.
Olivier Maurel, Groupe Danone, France – ‘Exploring Economically Sustainable New Model’.
Sofia Bustamante, London Creative Labs, London – ‘Facilitating Job Creation in Communities Through Social Business: An Inclusive Approach’.
Dr Ashir Ahmed, Kyushu University, Japan – ‘Grameen Technology Lab: Development of Technologies Based on Social Needs’.
Hans Reitz, Grameen, Creative Lab, Germany – ‘Passion for Social Business’.
Elisa Rubini, San Patrignano, Italy - ‘San Patrignano and the Good Goods Project’.
Dr Maria T Quiros Fernandez, European Business School (EBS), Wiesbaden, Germany – ‘Social Business as New Innovative Idea in the Context of European Social Business’.
Julia Wilson, California State University Channel Islands – ‘The Yunus Institute of Social Business – A New Discipline’.
Ms Lamiya Morshed, Yunus Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh – ‘Global Connecting Role of the Yunus Centre’.
Keynote Speech: Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh