Nobel Laureate behind planned Atlanta peace summit withdraws
After weeks of controversy involving an executive in his organization, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has resigned from his namesake nonprofit that’s spearheading an Atlanta summit for fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
Mayor Kasim Reed recently pulled out of plans to participate in the event, citing organizational concerns with the CEO of Yunus Creative Lab, Mohammad Bhuiyan, and his wife and business partner, Shamima Amin.
Bhuiyan has pushed back against the mayor, saying he withdrew because Bhuiyan didn’t hire his preferred vendors. Reed refutes those claims.
In an email obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Yunus wrote that he’s resigning after news stories erroneously reported that he supports the event, despite Reed’s withdrawal and concerns raised by the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit. That organization, which is not affiliated with the Nobel Foundation, initially designated Atlanta as this year’s host city.
In the email, Yunus blamed unnamed members of his organization for the misinformation. He also wrote that he’s no longer associated with YCL and is “in no way responsible for its actions.”
"I am very concerned that YCL is projecting my views in the press which are completely opposite to my actual position on the issue. Not only am I unable to influence the position taken by the management of YCL, but to my utter surprise, I am being presented as if I am in full support of the YCL initiative," Yunus wrote. "Under these circumstances I see no other option but to resign from the position of chairman and member of Yunus Creative Lab board of directors with immediate effect and disassociate myself from YCL in all matters."
Yunus could not be immediately reached to verify the email’s authenticity, but Bob Hope, a longtime Atlanta public relations executive who has helped the organization with its communications, confirmed the news.
Bhuiyan said he believes Yunus resigned because of confusion over news stories and a recent press release, which quoted an email Yunus sent to the Permanent Secretariat last Saturday expressing support for the summit.
“There has been so much negative publicity around the summit by some people intentionally trying to undermine the great work that has been done. And there is every reason for Professor Yunus to feel uncomfortable and take himself out of the muddy picture,” Bhuiyan said.
Bhuiyan, Amin and Yunus cofounded the nonprofit, which is geared toward combating poverty and other social problems around the world. Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on microcredit, or small loans to poor people to help them start businesses.
It’s unclear what his resignation means for plans to host the event, which has drawn the support of many elite Atlantans, including Nobel Peace Laureate President Jimmy Carter, Ted Turner, Laura Turner Seydel, and several local CEOS and political figures.
Bhuiyan said the nonprofit’s board, which includes Seydel and former gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter, will meet to discuss its next steps.
“Until that time, everything is on the go,” he said.
In the email, Yunus wrote that he hopes the “leaders of Atlanta will find a peaceful and happy solution to the problem and find a way to hold the summit in Atlanta in November.”
Reed’s office could not be immediately reached for response. In a letter written March 19, Reed said the city was withdrawing its support after receiving “numerous concerns from stakeholders in the Atlanta community” about the couple’s ability to organize the event.
Reed denies Bhuiyan’s statements that he tried to steer event management business to political connections. The mayor said he suggested a reputable event planner with experience in Nobel summits and who has worked with The Carter Center and The Clinton Foundation.
