Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus pledged to harness young voters' enthusiasm to build a new Bangladesh, speaking at an event hosted by Chatham House in London on . Photo : CA's Facebook

LONDON, June 11, 2025 (BSS) - Honouring the visions and dreams of the country's young people, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said their excitement to voting will be used to build a new Bangladesh. 

"We honour their (young people's) visions, their dreams...we want to say goodbye to the old Bangladesh," he told an event here.

The event titled "In conversation with HE Professor Muhammad Yunus" was hosted by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Chatham House.

Prof Yunus said in the last 17 years, the young people, who are coming to voting age, never had the opportunity to cast their first vote.

"The excitement of the young people we want to use to create a new Bangladesh," he added. 

The Chief Adviser said the next election will not be just a voting of routine or electing a new government but it will be a voting for creating a new Bangladesh and "that's the promise we made".

Mentioning that the Bangladesh's interim government formed many commissions to bring reforms in different sectors, he said his government finally constituted the national consensus building commission. 

Prof Yunus said the ultimate aim is to get all the recommendations of the reform commissions that all the political parties agree and all the parties sign an agreement. 

"We call it July Charter. We are waiting to the July to come, next month...this charter will be presented to the nation. And on this basis, there will have the election," he said. 

About the responsibility of the interim government, the Chief Adviser said they were given three tasks - reform, holding trial of perpetrators involved in killings during the July uprising and holding polls.

Asked about the economic crisis Bangladesh faced when the interim government assumed office after topple of the Awami League regime, he said this was very tough job for them while the world was going through various problems and Bangladesh was going through another set of problems. 

"We were at zero level of our economy, at negative level of economy. We had huge bills to pay," Prof Yunus said. 

Citing the findings of white paper prepared on Bangladesh economy, he said about US$ 234 billion was siphoned off abroad from Bangladesh during the ousted regime, while the country's foreign exchange reserve was empty and the banking sector was collapsed. 

Recalling the contribution of Bangladeshi expatriates to saving the country from economic collapse, the Chief Adviser said the remittance flow kept growing and "today our balance of payment is completely changed".

About the global support to his government, he said all the countries gave moral support to the Bangladesh interim government and that's why it is thankful to all.