Nobel laureate professor Muhammad Yunus on 12 April inaugurated the European Social Business Forum in Utrecht, Netherlands, according to a press release of the Yunus Centre.
The EBSF is the annual gathering of the European social business community. It serves to spread awareness of social business, foster discussion and collaboration, as well as present and conceive best practices among companies, governments, entrepreneurs, civil society and academia to shape the future economic and social system.
The Yunus Centre said the social business forum is aimed to explore how to leverage far-reaching advances in science and technology to create impact in our communities.
First held in Germany, then Social Business Forum has taken place in Sweden and Norway over successive years.
In 2016 the ESBF is held in Utrecht, Netherlands, attracting over 250 participants from more than 27 countries all across Europe and beyond.
Social business experts, entrepreneurs, academics, policy makers and investors were invited to join for an inspiring day all around the European social business ecosystem and its future.
A diverse program offered plenty of opportunity to share experiences, exchange ideas and further develop the social business movement in Europe.
The forum was organized by Hans Reitz, CEO of The Grameen Creative Lab in partnership with Utrecht University. It took place within the framework of the Social Entrepreneurship Festival hosted by Utrecht University, said the press release.
The agenda was filled with sessions addressing questions that social business entrepreneurs are facing every day: Which financing instruments can effectively support social business? How can we scale social business ideas to increase impact? Which obstacles and dilemmas do social business entrepreneurs face?
Other interactive sessions provided the opportunity to work on ideas in the area of education, global value chain or the refugee crisis. Others focused on ecosystems for social business or social business and institutional change.
These topics were discussed in eight parallel sessions in smaller groups that enabled a more interactive and hands-on approach, said the press release.
As part of the European Social Business Forum, Muhammad Yunus also held a public speech at Louis Hartlooper Complex addressing an audience interested in social business.
During his stay, Mayor of Utrecht J.H.C. van Zanen called on Yunus. The Mayor admired the concept of social business an expressed his intention of taking steps to make Utrecht as Social Business City, and creating a social business fund within that framework to support social businesses as well as finance young people with equity to create their own enterprises.
The Utrecht University also joined the Social Business Academia Network and will participate in the Academia Conference that will take place in Paris on 9-10 November 2016.
Utrecht University announced that they will set up a Social Business centre to facilitate the study and practice of social business.
During the European Social Business Forum, it was also announced that the 7th Social Business Day will be held on 28-29 July 2016 in Dhaka, Bangladesh and that moreover, the Social Business Academia Conference will be held on 9-10 November 2016 in Paris, France.
Source: Prothom Alo
