Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, former Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, has met with Emmanuel Grégoire, the newly elected Mayor of Paris. During the meeting, Grégoire expressed his intention to transform Paris into a global hub for social business by establishing “Social Business Day” as an annual citywide celebration.
The meeting, held on Friday (May 29), focused on Dr. Yunus’s “Three Zeros” vision—zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, and zero unemployment—and the role of young people in achieving these goals. The participants also discussed the activities of more than 7,000 Three Zero Clubs operating around the world.
Dr. Yunus proposed a new and effective model that encourages wealthy individuals to invest their assets in Social Business Funds rather than traditional charitable foundations. According to him, this approach can create lasting social change while helping to reduce the concentration of wealth.
As part of this initiative, Mayor Grégoire has decided to send his Deputy Mayor, Audrey Pulvar, and Paris Council member Elisa Yavchitz as representatives to attend the upcoming Social Business Day event in Dhaka this June.
The plan to position Paris as a model city for social innovation is expected to create a promising new pathway for sustainable and inclusive development worldwide.
Also present at the meeting were Lamia Morshed, Executive Director of the Yunus Centre, and Yoann Nuguier, Head of Yunus France.
