The “Friends of Grameen” initiative was launched today. This initiative brings together NGOs,
prominent public figures, and corporations, who are committed to promoting and developing
microcredit and social business as crucial tools in the fight against poverty.
One of the priorities is also to support the independence of Grameen Bank and its founder Professor
Yunus, who together awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, as they have been the target of an
ongoing pressure campaign of rumors and misleading information.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights, will chair the “Friends of Grameen” Honorary Committee.
This committee also includes prominent figures such as Jagdish Sharan Verma, former Chief Justice of
India, and former Chair of the National Human Rights Commission of India; James D. Wolfensohn,
Chairman and CEO of Wolfensohn Fund Management, L.P. and former President of World Bank;
William Drayton, Founder and current Chair of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, and Dr Kamal
Hossain, Head of Kamal Hossain & Associates, one of the most reputable law firms in Bangladesh.
“Our organization will get to work quickly”, said Maria Nowak, Head of the “Friends of Grameen”
Executive Committee, and President of ADIE, a pioneering French microfinance institution created in
1989. She added: “As the world looks at Bangladesh as a pioneer and role model in the field of
microcredit, the priority of Friends of Grameen will be to continue to advocate that Grameen bank
should remain an autonomous entity, owned by borrowers, and should continue to benefit from the
guidance of its founder, friendly political and legal support of the Government, as a significant
stakeholder.”
About Friends of Grameen
“Friends of Grameen” will be established over the coming days as a voluntary association under the
French law of 1901. The purpose of the association will be the promotion and development of
microcredit and social business, in particular the microcredit activities of Grameen Bank and its
affiliates. The organization will be registered in France, at the headquarters of ADIE, a French
microfinance institution created in 1989, inspired by the creation of the Grameen Bank in 1983.
Press contacts:
Vincent Dujardin, Burson Marsteller, Paris : 00 33 1 41 86 76 48 / 00 33 6 14 11 38 67
Emilie Rapley, Burson Marsteller, Paris: 0033 1 41 86 76 14 / 0033 6 29 22 82 01
Xavier Bossaert, Burson Marsteller Paris: 0033 1 41 86 97 / 0033 6 19 41 50 80