Congressional Gold Medal for Prof. Yunus

Microfinance Focus, Oct 6, 2010: Microfinance pioneer Prof Muhammad Yunus was recently been selected for the Congressional Gold Medal which is one of the highest civilian honours that can be awarded in the United States, and is given, as its highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions.

U.S. lawmakers have approved S. 846, the bill for granting the Congressional Gold Medal to Prof. Yunus and it will now go to President Barack Obama for his signature. Citing the estimated 24 million microenterprises in the United States, the legislation honors Prof. Yunus for “his contributions to the fight against global poverty,”

Professor Yunus was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, becoming only the seventh person to receive all three distinctions.

Right after receiving word about this honor, Prof. Yunus made his animation debut on Fox’s The Simpsons on Oct. 3. Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, is an advocate of Professor Yunus’s work and the work of Grameen Foundation. This year, she made a combined donation of $1.14 million to Grameen Foundation and Fonkoze, an MFI in Haiti.

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