KATHMANDU: Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser, has demanded that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, be extradited in the event that she has committed crimes. "Why wouldn't she? Dr. Yunus said as a speaker at the New York Times Climate Forward symposium, "If she has committed crimes, she should be extradited and brought to justice."
Dr. Yunus is in New York for the UN General Assembly. In response to a question concerning his political aspirations, he said, "Do I look like someone who would run?" and denied having any plans to run for office.
Dr. Yunus stated that he does not have a set timetable for Bangladesh's elections. He said that in the upcoming months, a number of panels tasked with making reform suggestions are anticipated to do so. Following this, the polling date would be announced.
Dr. Yunus expressed skepticism during the conference over the Paris Agreement, a global accord intended to reduce climate change. He said that as long as the world kept running on the current economic system, the agreement would not lead to anything significant.
He made a strong statement criticizing the existing economic system, saying, "The economic system we have built is key to the destruction of this planet." Dr. Yunus emphasized that the current system prioritizes wealth creation and profit maximization for a small group of elites, which leads to significant waste production.
Dr. Yunus argued that human civilization is "self-destructive," and that changing international treaties by itself will not be adequate without a thorough revision of the underlying mechanisms.
He drew attention to the inequalities that developing countries like Bangladesh must contend with and argued that they shouldn't be forced to for the repairs that wealthier nations have caused to the climate. "Why should we carry the burden of all the destruction that you put on us?" asked the man. "You are the cause, we are the result."
In addition to emphasizing personal responsibility in the battle against climate change, the Nobel laureate and pioneer of microfinance urged individuals to produce less trash and lessen their fossil fuel footprint.
The remarks made by Dr. Yunus demonstrate the growing concern that developing country leaders have for the unequal effects of climate change and the need for a more just global economic system.
In his conference speech, he underlined how crucial it is to solve systemic issues related to economics and climate change in order to create a sustainable future for all countries, particularly those who are most affected by environmental deterioration.
