About 400 guests, including ambassadors, entrepreneurs, teachers and researchers from 25 countries, were present. After Dr. Yunus’s name was announced, the guests present stood and honored him with applause.

This year, four people, including Dr. Yunus, received this honor. The other winners are Reema Nanavaty, director of India’s Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), fashion designer and founder of the Tory Burch Foundation Tory Burch, and Mona Sukhtian, board chair of Jordan’s Microfund for Women. Mona Sukhtian received the special ‘Georgetown Ambassadors Award’.

At the event, Hillary Clinton praised Grameen Bank’s activities and said that through this bank, women have become self-reliant and ensured their own security and empowerment. She remarked that Dr. Yunus has spread this initiative beyond Bangladesh through his work.

After receiving the award, Dr. Yunus said this event was a recognition of 50 years of his work. He also expressed hope that this honor would convey an important message to Bangladesh and inspire members of the Grameen family.

Highlighting Grameen Bank’s microcredit activities, Dr. Yunus said that making people living in extreme poverty self-reliant and financially empowering women were among the main goals of their work. According to him, the women who once remained silent are now confidently expressing their needs and running the bank as owners of Grameen Bank.

Regarding youth employment, Dr. Yunus said that instead of becoming job seekers, young people must develop the mindset of creating jobs. Alongside this, highlighting the concept of social business, he said that its main goal is not to earn personal profit, but to solve social problems. Various institutions built with financing from social business in the healthcare sector are reinvesting surplus funds in healthcare.