Muhammad Yunus

For other people with similar names, see Mohammad Yunus.

The Honourable
Muhammad Yunus
মুহাম্মদ ইউনূস
Yunus in 2024
5th Chief Adviser of Bangladesh
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 August 2024
PresidentMohammed Shahabuddin
Preceded bySheikh Hasina
(as Prime Minister)
Personal details
Born (1940-06-28) 28 June 1940 (age 84)
Hathazari, Bengal Province, British India
Citizenship
Political partyIndependent (2007–present)
Other political
affiliations		Nagorik Shakti (2007)
Spouses
  • Vera Forostenko
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1970; div. 1979)​
  • Afrozi Yunus
    ​
    (m. 1983)​
Children
RelativesMuhammad Ibrahim (brother)
Residence(s)Jamuna State House, Dhaka
Education
Occupation
  • Economist
  • Entrepreneur
  • Civil society leader
Awards
Signature
Websitemuhammadyunus.org
Academic work
DisciplineEconomics
School or tradition
Institutions
Notable works

Muhammad Yunus[a] (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, politician, and civil society leader, who has been serving as Chief Adviser (interim head of government) of the interim government of Bangladesh since 8 August 2024.[1] Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance.[2] Yunus has received several other national and international honors, including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.[3]

In 2012, Yunus became Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, a position he held until 2018.[4][5] Previously, he was a professor of economics at Chittagong University in Bangladesh.[6] He published several books related to his finance work. He is a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation, which support microcredit.[7] Yunus also served on the board of directors of the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to support UN causes, from 1998 to 2021.[8] In 2022, he partnered with Global Esports Federation to build esports for the development movement.[9][10]

Following the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina, President Mohammed Shahabuddin gave Yunus a mandate to form an interim government, acceding to calls from student leaders for his appointment.[11] His government has appointed a Constitutional Reform Commission to draft a revision to the Constitution of Bangladesh and has pledged the convocation of a constituent assembly.[12] His acquittal on appeal the following day of charges of labour code violations, which were viewed as politically motivated, facilitated his return to the country and appointment.[13] His name was listed in The 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2024.[14]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Muhammad Yunus takes oath as head of Bangladesh's interim government". Al Jazeera. 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
  2. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2006". NobelPrize.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. ^ "House and Senate Leaders Announce Gold Medal Ceremony for Professor Muhammad Yunus". Press Release, US Congress. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Muhammad Yunus accepts Glasgow Caledonian University post". BBC News. 1 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Muhammad Yunus Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University". UK Parliament. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Professor Muhammad Yunus". Keough School – University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Bangladesh dissolves Parliament; protesters call for Nobel laureate to lead". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  8. ^ "United Nations Foundation | Helping the UN build a better world". unfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Global Esports Federation partners with Yunus Sports Hub to build Esports for Development movement". Global Esports Federation. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference yun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Majumder, Azad; Mehrotra, Karishma; Gupta, Anant; Ripon, Tanbirul Miraj; Seth, Anika Arora (6 August 2024). "Bangladeshi officials meet student demand to name Nobel laureate as leader". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Constituent assembly to be convened for charter reform: Nahid". Jago News 24. 2 September 2024. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Le Prix Nobel Muhammad Yunus arrive au Bangladesh pour former un gouvernement". Le Monde (in French). 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Yunus among world's most influential Muslims". The Daily Star. 7 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024.