Yunus Centre Press Release – 27 November 2023

On 23rd of November 2023, Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Yunus joined in a high level strategic meeting with Professor Stanislav Prokofiev, the Rector of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and his high ranking colleagues. . Financial University hosted this meeting. At this meeting Professor Yunus was invited to be the Chair of the International Advisory Board of the university.  Professor Yunus gave his consent to this appointment.

The Financial University is one of the top five universities in Russia with 3,000 academic staff. Professor Yunus was invited to give a lecture to the faculty and students of the university last year on his thoughts on creating a new civilization based on social business working towards achieving three zero goals-- zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, and zero unemployment.

The International Advisory Board will be a deliberative collegial body. Its primary goals are to attract the best international experience, to provide in-depth expert analysis and to prepare proposals for strategic development, as well as academic, research and innovation activities of the university.

During the meeting the Rector explained the role of the international advisory board in developing the university’s academic programme and help design the future direction of the research of the university. He explained how the university community very much admire Professor Yunus’s concept of social business. He explains that financial University will very much like to introduce the concept in their academic programmes. He said that the students will be encouraged to design and implement social businesses during their academic years in the university, and Financial University will provide financial support to the student-entrepreneurs to start their social businesses.

The meeting was also attended by Professor Mikhail Eskindarov, President of the University, Professor Ekaterina Kameneva, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Kirill Babaev, Director of the Center for International Scientific and Educational Projects, Liliya Prikhodko, Head of the International Relations Department, and Mr. Mikhail Mamuta, Head of the Service for the Protection of Financial Services to Consumers and Minority Shareholders, Bank of Russia, the Central Bank of Russia.

During this online meeting, it was collectively agreed to appoint Professor Kirill Babaev, a doctor of philological sciences, Director of the Financial University’s Center for International Scientific and Educational Projects and Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as the Advisory Board’s Secretary.

The participants also discussed the prospects of cooperation between the Finance University and the Yunus Centre. Rector of the Financial University Professor Stanislav Prokofiev expressed his support for the ideas of social business as a guarantee for sustainable and long-term social development.

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