Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus met the chief executive officers (CEOs) of top clothing retailers at the Consumer Goods Forum in Tokyo on June 11-13 this year.
Professor Yunus was a keynote speaker at the conference, a Yunus Centre statement said in the capital Dhaka on Monday.
He invited the CEOs of the top retail companies for a private meeting with him on the sidelines of the conference to discuss the situation of garment industry in Bangladesh.
“They had a hour long exclusive meeting with Professor Yunus. They briefed him about their support for Bangladesh. Professor Yunus elaborated his proposals on voluntary international minimum wages for garment workers for each garment producing country, and the use of "Happy Workers' Tag" for offering workers' welfare programs by independent social business companies,” the statement said. “The CEOs showed positive interest in both the subjects.”
He urged the CEOs to join hands to make Bangladesh a highly attractive country for sourcing garment products and help bring back the companies which left the country. “He emphasized the social impact of garment industry in Bangladesh in terms of women empowermnet along with its impact on poverty reduction.”
CEOs present in the meeting were Michael Duke, CEO and President of Walmart, Georges Plassat, CEO and President of Carrefour, Gareth Ackerman, Chairman of Pick and Pay Stores Ltd, Tadashi Yanai, Chairman and CEO of Uniqlo and Motoya Okada, CEO of AEON Ltd, Japan.
BBN/SSR/AD-18JUne13-12:50 pm (BST)
