Happiness is about finding the purpose of life. What is the meaning of life . How do I define my destiny? Just make me happy? Or making me happy by making everybody else happy? Start from childhood - define your purpose.  

“Making Money is Happiness, Making Other People Happy is Super Happiness” - This simple, yet inspirational statement holds a revolutionary story. When you take off your money-making glasses and wear social business glasses, you can see much more and make anything happen with your creativity. There can be immense joy if the sole purpose of business is to solve the problems of society.

The capitalist system based on self-interest is not sustainable for today’s world. Capitalism has been interpreted to be based on selfishness. But while human beings are selfish, they are also selfless. But the latter part is discarded from the interpretation. We are seeing an increasing number of social businesses, or non-dividend businesses, whose entire objective is to solve social and environmental problems rather than make money, being born in many parts of the world. In social businesses, profits are recycled inside the company itself to continue working on a problem. Investors get to recoup their money but nothing more, other than the enjoyment of what they've done. Making money is happiness; making other people happy is super-happiness.

What is the estimate of total money available to foundations and charity organisations? Top US foundations gave out $9.3 billion in 2015, $35 billion in 5 years. Half from Bill Gates Foundation. US gave $410 billion in charity last year.

Total non-profit revenue in the US in 2015 exceeded $2.0 trillion, UK: £10.6 billion, Swiss: $1.8 billion, China: $13.2 billion, Russia: $2.5 billion.

Two points: Money is not the problem. Theory is the problem. Mindset is the problem. Law is the problem.

Speakers:

Kerstin Humberg

Founder
Yunel

Sanjiv K Shelgikar

Founder
Yunus Social Business India

Mitsuru Izumo

Founder and CEO
euglena Co., Ltd.

Suraj Kumar

Chief Mentor
Neeti Foundation

Nico Rose

Professor
International School of Management

Anil K Gupta

Founder
Honey Bee Network, Sristi, Gian and Nif

Jüergen Nagler

Co-Founder
United Nations Transformation Network and Happiness Researcher, Bhutan

This panel will present four New Entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and one from Kosovo. They will be interviewed on stage about their experiences. They’ll discuss the process through which New Entrepreneurs are selected and mentored. The panel will discuss how young individuals are given financial and entrepreneurial leverage by Social Business funds. The procedures for selection of entrepreneurs, administrative structure, deployment of field staff, mentoring and guiding, building confidence, stages of selection, physical and statistical monitoring of the projects, and MIS software for daily monitoring will also be discussed.

Four units managers, one branch manager from Kosovo will also be present. They will give their perspectives. How was the program helpful. Problems. Success. Future plans. What should the young people do for their future. Reaction among friends and family. Experiences of managers: How do they select? What works? Will they soon run out of candidates. How far can they take the entrepreneurs?

Speakers:

Nurjahan Begum

Advisor to Chairman
YUNUS CENTRE

Abdul Hai Khan

Managing Director
Grameen Trust

Lamiya Morshed

Executive Director
Yunus Centre

Taslima Akter

Nobin
Grameen Shakti Samajiki Byabosha Ltd.

Eti Begum

Nobin
Grameen Telecom Trust

Md. Imran Hossain

Nobin
Grameen Telecom Trust

Hasim Kashem

Nobin
Grameen Kalyan

Eanda Ukmata

Nobin
Kosovo Grameen missione Acrobaleno Microcredit Fund (KGMAMF)

Environmental issues are one of the most challenging global issues that concern the world today. With the severity and realness of climate change down on us, we must be prompt to take actions to reverse it.

Although the natural resources of the earth are quickly depleting, they are still being over-used to meet the ever-growing demands of energy. In this plenary, the speakers will discuss how to tackle the rising problems and what must be done in the next five years through Social Business in order to address the issue. The plenary will also look into what already exists within the Social Business world in regards to green energy.

The plenary will discuss how businesses must be held responsible for their actions and will encourage businesses to solve social problems. 30% of the world is filled with forests, and they are being cut off at an alarming rate. This not only destroys the habitat of land animals and plants, but it also gives rise to global warming, desertification and soil erosion. Deforestation ultimately boils down to careless human activity to fulfill demands, in a highly unsustainable way.

Key areas for the plenary to discuss will be afforestation, plastic, pollution through garments and plastic/chemical based Microfiber pollution (which is more dangerous than plastic bottles). The audience will also be briefed on the environmental threat of garment fibers and ways to avoid that problem.

Eating beef creates climate crisis. We should pay attention to life-style, urgency. Planet is already one degree warm. 1.5 degree should be the ultimate. By 2050 it will reach 2 degree. Point of no return reached?

Speakers:

Christina Jaeger

Director Circular Economy
Grameen Creative Lab

Md. Ashraful Hasan

Managing Director
Grameen Telecom

Mohammad Raihanul Islam

Chief Executive Officer
Ecospear Private Company Ltd

Chaiwat Kovavisarat

Chief Executive Officer & President
Bangchak Corporation

The social business model is a capitalist instrument, with a social solution. The ultimate goal of social business is to address a social problem. There are, however, enormous challenges. Funding, strategy, long-term focus, and remaining true to the mission are some of the major challenges faced by social businesses. Lack of funds, more often than not, holds back businesses from expanding and waiting until breakeven is achieved.

Each is a new territory. Learning by doing. Translating profit-maximizing principles to problem-solving work not yet perfected. New questions. New experiments. New experiences. Objective is clear. Road is clear. Unexpected things happen. But don’t give up. That’s the journey of all explorers.

Speakers:

Hans Reitz

Co-Founder & Managing Director
Grameen Creative Lab

Corinne Bazina

General Manager
Danone Communities

Parveen Mahmud

Former Founding Managing Director
Grameen Telecom Trust

Luciano Gurgel

Investment Director
YSB Brazil

Sohel Ahmed

Managing Director
Grameen Shakti

M.L Dispanadda Diskul

CEO
Mae Fah Luang Foundation

In this segment, the relationship between sports and social business will be explored. Discussions will take place on how sports and social business can come together to bring about social changes and improve the lives of the poor. Social businesses may benefit from celebrity endorsements and celebrity involvements in social business by attracting the attention of the youth. The influence and reach of celebrity endorsements is vast and can have a great impact.

Sports have their own internal social problems. The panel may discuss the varieties of these serious human problems and how social business can address them. The panelists are encouraged to share their own experiences in this case.

They may also bring up the concepts behind Sports Hub, Olympics 2024, involvement of International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympian Association of Sports, and so on.

Role of International Olympic Academy in Olympia

Role of clubs, individual sports person, sports industry, sports fans and activists. Local solutions, leading to global solutions. We are at the baseline now. Time to run and reach the goal.

 The objective of the session is to convince the audience both in front of the panel and those streaming online, the power of sports and athletics in changing the world, through social business approach.

Speakers:

Yoan Noguier

Co-Founder & Director
Yunus Sports Hub

Amy Dahmen

Co-Founder
Kabubu

Marie Barsacq

Executive Director of Impact and Heritage
Paris 2024

Ge Yang

2016 Paralympic Table Tennis Champion
Paralympic Athlete

Yao Ming

NBA Star and Chairman
Chinese Basketball Association

Elisa Yavchitz

Manager
Les Canaux