Prominent human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Tawakkol Karman, delivered a speech at the 14th Social Business Day 2024 conference held in Manila, Philippines.

The event, which took place from June 27 to 28, aimed to promote initiatives and discussions centered around social responsibility and the development of systems for social assistance.

In her address, Karman expressed her deep admiration for Professor Muhammad Yunus, renowned for revolutionizing banking with a focus on social responsibility. She commended Yunus for prioritizing the establishment and growth of social assistance systems, emphasizing the importance of supporting early innovators who implement such initiatives in their public work.

Karman raised concerns about the prevailing values in today's world, where selfishness and the pursuit of profit often overshadow social impact and responsibility. She highlighted the detrimental effects of economic policies and global trade, which have marginalized millions of people, exacerbating poverty, hunger, and income inequality. 

Asserting that material progress driven solely by selfishness and profit poses a grave threat to humanity, Karman emphasized that wealth accumulation should not come at the cost of sacrificing human values. She criticized the prevailing development model, which perpetuates social disparities and widens the gap between the wealthy few and the impoverished majority.

Karman challenged the notion of progress, pointing out that the world today is wasting the lives of the majority through wars, oppressive regimes, and economic monopolies that disregard the social consequences of their policies. She emphasized the need for a dual approach involving legal and political efforts to combat injustice and promote human rights, alongside social initiatives that encourage various forms of social assistance and the establishment of economic and social institutions to support the underprivileged.

Karman further expressed deep concern about the misuse of power to suppress and discredit individuals involved in social assistance initiatives. She denounced the oppressive tactics employed by those who view such initiatives as a threat to an unjust system devoid of justice, equality, and human rights. Karman called for a shift in priorities, emphasizing that the value of humanity cannot be measured by monetary gains.

Highlighting the root cause of many of today's problems, Karman stressed that true progress for humanity can only be achieved by prioritizing a decent life for all. She affirmed that social assistance and the reconstruction of institutions with a human dimension should be at the forefront of all endeavors, utilizing all available means and platforms to promote these values in societies and beyond.

In a conclusion to her speech, Karman extended her sympathy and commitment to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who were currently enduring a war marked by genocide and unprecedented ethnic cleansing. She condemned the unjust war and joined people worldwide in calling for its immediate cessation.

Herein follows the speech transcript:

At the beginning of my speech, I would like to emphasize my profound admiration for Professor Muhammad Yunus, the pioneer who revolutionized banking by making social responsibility its primary goal. Professor Yunus has set a different direction, prioritizing social responsibility and a decent life for all, and expressing our support for him reflects our shared values and commitment to pioneering initiatives that establish and develop systems of social assistance. These initiatives rebuild public and private institutions on a philosophy that reaffirms humanity and the values of cooperation, integration, and social assistance.

We are here to affirm these values and support the early innovators who used them as a guide for their public actions. Muhammad Yunus presents a model of public work that reaches people, with social assistance as its core objective.

Today, our world is driven by selfish values, centered on commercial competition and the pursuit of enormous profits and wealth, without regard for the social impact of economic policies and global trade. Hundreds of millions of people are marginalized by local and global laws that neglect social responsibility, exacerbating poverty, hunger, and income disparity. How can we witness such vast disparities without sounding the alarm to warn against the injustice and oppression that push increasing numbers of people into the depths of poverty, hunger, and deprivation of work and life opportunities?

It is time to sound the alarm. Material progress, which embodies selfishness, profit, and a lack of concern for justice and a decent life for all, is today the source of our contemporary crises and leads our world towards destruction. Humans were not born into this world to sacrifice their humanity in the pursuit of wealth. What is claimed to be development today contradicts the social disparity we see between the wealthy few and the poor majority, who find themselves on the margins of life.

Is our world the most advanced? Regrettably, we must acknowledge that it is the most driven to waste the lives of the majority, fueling wars, oppressive regimes, and economic monopolies of trade and money, without considering the social effects of economic and social policies.

Our struggle for a better life for all humanity proceeds along two paths: one legal and political, focusing on justice and human rights and combating violations, oppression, and discrimination; and the other social, concerned with encouraging social assistance initiatives in all forms, including charitable humanitarian work and the establishment of economic and social institutions aimed at helping the poor and low-income individuals.

The use of power to besiege and harass those active in social assistance, and to use the judiciary to file malicious cases against them, represents an oppressive approach and is part of unjust policies that view any social initiatives as a threat to a system indifferent to justice, equality, and human rights. They seek to suppress and discredit anyone who tries to share economic benefits with all. Those who embrace cooperation and social assistance in their actions across economics, banking, and other fields are often targeted. We have become blind to what truly matters about humanity: a value that cannot be measured by money.

Prioritizing money and material things over people and life is the root cause of many problems humanity faces today. There can be no real progress for humanity without linking it to a decent life for all. Social assistance and rebuilding institutions with a human dimension is our approach, and we will emphasize it through all available means and platforms and in our public activities in our societies and the world around us.

The advancement of civilization, politics, economics, and technology is worthless without justice, human rights, and the right of all people to life, dignity, and freedom.

last and not least: while we discuss the importance of social responsibility I must also extend my sympathy and commitment to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who are currently enduring a war characterized by genocide and unprecedented ethnic cleansing, atrocities unseen since World War II. I condemn this unjust war and join all free people around the world in calling for its immediate cessation. Please accept my heartfelt greetings and wishes for the success of this conference.

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