We have been fortunate to have Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Price Laureate, social entrepreneur, banker, economist, civil society leader, and a great inspiration for our Impact Hub movement, in conversation with Gabriela Gandel, Executive Director of the Impact Hub Network, at LIVE with Impact Hub.

During this truly inspiring session, he encourages everyone to seize the historic opportunity the pandemic has given us to “build new roads and reach new destinations.” To embark on a journey that can lead us to a world of three zeros – zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions – by unleashing our power as entrepreneurs in our day to day, better serving our communities to tackle the challenges of our time, and being part of the change the world needs to become more sustainable, inclusive and fair.

As Gabriela Gandel also states, “The time to act is now and the way to act is together.”

Some of Professor Muhammad Yunus most inspiring reflections

The pandemic is a terrible thing in one way – but it has done a wonderful thing. Reveal everything that is inside us. It has created a great opportunity, a historic moment where we can do things differently.

Before the pandemic we were on a high-speed train, rushing to our successes. Now that the train has stopped, should we go back and go in the same direction? We now have the possibility to take a new train in a new direction.

In order to go to a new destination, you have to build new roads. This is our chance to build them.

My destination is very simple: creating a world of three zeros. Zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration and poverty, and zero unemployment. By unleashing entrepreneurship every day. 

We still continue on this planet because we are problem solvers. We are hunters and gatherers. We are entrepreneurs. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about: designing things to solve problems and move ahead.

If millions of poor, illiterate women in remote villages can turn themselves into entrepreneurs with just $20, $50 or $100, don’t tell me we can’t all become entrepreneurs. 

Finance is the oxygen of entrepreneurship.

Nothing is impossible for human beings. You just have to make up your mind and get things done. 

There’s no going back. The time is now.

This session was part of our 2021 Online Makers Festival, dedicated to bringing our entire Impact Hub team together over three days to inspire, connect and enable each other on issues that matter to us and our communities – as well as to have fun! On this occasion, we wanted to broadcast it live and open it up for everyone to have the opportunity to attend and learn together with all of us.

LIVE with Impact Hub events are free for all our members. Become a Global Impact Hub Member for free today and sign up for any of our upcoming events. And subscribe to our newsletter to be up to date with the latest news, opportunities and stories from the Impact Hub Network.