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Towards an Inclusive Globalisation

26 December 2006
 

Nobel laureates Professor Amartya Sen & Professor Muhammad Yunus pitched for the poor of the world, stressing that Globalisation should help them and not merely the rich, to eradicate poverty and lift countless have-nots above the poverty line. They were speaking at a dialogue on ‘Towards an Inclusive Globalisation’ organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) held on 26 December 2006 at the BRAC Centre Inn auditorium. George Soros, Chairman Open Society Institute also addressed while Professor Rehman Sobhan chaired the session. Soros called globalisation ‘a market fundamentalist project’. Sen, Yunus and global financier George Soros, however, appeared at different wavelengths on the need of the globalisation process and the role of the media.

Yunus said vehicles of the stronger nations are plying in the highway of globalisation where Bangladeshi rickshaw has almost no access. He stressed the need for freeing the assets of the world to all. He pointed out that 60-70 percent of the world’s population has no access to information technology (IT) and emphasised the need for equal access to IT to this quarter. He added that he was trying to introduce a new idea of social business that is setting up non profit companies for the well being of the society.

Declaring himself as ‘anti-anti-globalisation,’ he urged for countering the drive against globalisation which became nothing but ‘a slogan, only a campaign’. At the same time, he said, the pros and cons of globalisation needs to be weighed in the context of each society and there was nothing wrong with a comprehensive analysis and criticism of the process. He referred to the communist China which had accepted market economy to some extent.

Eminent Economist Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, Former Chairman of SEC and Sonali Bank Mirza Azuzul Islam, President of Bangladesh Economic Association Q K Ahmad, Former President of Dhaka Chamber Sayeeful Islam and RIB’s Executive Director Professor Meghna Guho Thakurta took part in the open floor discussion. Among others Emeritus Professor Jamal Nazrul Islam, Former Advisor to the Caretaker Government C M Shafi Sami and Syed Manzur Elahi, President of ICCB Mahbubur Rahman, President of MCCI Latifur Rahman, Chairman of Unnayan Shamannya Atiur Rahman, Former President of BGMEA Annisul Huq, Professor M M Akash and Research Director of the CPD Professor Mustafizur Rahman were also present.