The Prof. Yunus James Chau interview on CCTV, the Chinese National TV, gets the social business leader discussing the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the wake of a changing global climate. Yunus, who was in Zurich, Switzerland for the One Young World Summit 2011, explained that the emphasis on HIV/AIDS poverty, hunger and funding had shifted to an emphasis on terrorism.
"The world got into another kind of war, rather than fighting poverty and the diseases, the fight on terrorism -- so that derailed the whole effort to achieve those goals," says Prof. Yunus.
Indeed, as world attention in the 1990s focused heavily on famine and genocides (for example in Rwanda), the new millennium, instead of bringing renewed hope and vigor, as the Millennium Development Goals attempted to do, world attention shifted to the "War on Terror" and now, the global financial crisis.
A new world older, perhaps? Watch the video to see what Prof. Yunus had to say about social business as marginal, poverty reduction, world interconnectedness and technology.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Shift to Emphasis on Terrorism
- In the wake of the changing global climate, the emphasis on HIV/AIDS poverty, hunger and funding has shifted to an emphasis on terrorism, opening up opportunities for innovative solutions in counter-terrorism or new ways to combat poverty while addressing terrorism.
- Renewed Focus on Poverty Reduction
- As world attention shifts back towards poverty reduction, new opportunities arise to develop innovative approaches to combat poverty and address the Millennium Development Goals amidst the chaos of the global financial crisis and terrorism.
- Social Business as a Solution
- The concept of social business as a tool for poverty reduction and world interconnectedness presents an opportunity for companies and entrepreneurs to create innovative solutions that address the social and economic challenges of the 21st century.
Where This Applies
- Counter-terrorism
- The shift towards emphasis on terrorism creates an opportunity for companies and government organizations to develop innovative approaches in the field of counter-terrorism.
- Social Entrepreneurship
- The renewed focus on poverty reduction and the role of social business as a solution presents an opportunity for social entrepreneurs to create and scale innovative solutions to address the Millennium Development Goals and socio-economic challenges.
- Global Development
- The changing global climate and renewed focus on poverty reduction presents a critical opportunity for organizations and individuals to drive innovation in global development and address the Millennium Development Goals.
