CATÓLICA-LISBON has signed a partnership with Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus for the establishment of the first Yunus Social Business Center (YSBC) in Portugal

March 1st 2020 - Edition #25

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Prof. Yunus is internationally recognized for the creation of the revolutionary microcredit system that helped millions of people escape poverty around the world, and for creating the concept of social business that promotes economically viable solutions oriented towards social impact, serving the most disadvantaged populations and communities.

For that he founded the Grameen Bank and created the Yunus Center as a think tank for issues related to social business, working in the field of poverty alleviation and sustainability.

Since social business is a new concept and promises to address the problems of poverty, inequality, unemployment and environmental degradation in a sustainable and effective way, Prof. Yunus is establishing Yunus Social Business Centers (YSBC) around the world in partnership with reputed academic institutions in order to introduce and disseminate the concept of social business in its different perspectives among young people, professionals, policy makers and business leaders.

Why will the first YSBC in Portugal be at CATÓLICA-LISBON?

Filipe Santos, Dean of CATÓLICA-LISBON and responsible for the Chair in Social Entrepreneurship has for many years been teaching the concept of social business citing Prof. Yunus often, being himself also considered an international reference in the field of social innovation. As the Dean of CATÓLICA-LISBON he is aware of the responsibility of business schools to educate ethical and responsible leaders and to provide them with the knowledge and instruments to create a positive impact in the world in the issues that most challenge companies and society.

Therefore, this partnership with Prof. Yunus is a natural step to reinforce CATÓLICA-LISBON’s pursuit of a more impact-oriented economy aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

With this partnership CATÓLICA-LISBON will develop knowledge, training programmes and innovative projects in the area of social business and social innovation contributing to a fairer, more inclusive and impact-oriented system of capitalism.

Achieving this objective will also involve being a convener and catalyst for the development of cross-sector partnerships addressing the challenges of European society and contributing to sustainable development.

CATÓLICA-LISBON's Yunus Social Business Center will be launched publicly in the first semester of 2020.

Have a great and impactful week!

Joana Paredes Alves
Researcher
Center for Responsible Business and Leadership

The Center for Responsible Business & Leadership has the main purpose of contributing for Sustainability and Responsible Leadership to become part of the “way we do things in our planet”. Find out more here.

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