Former Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus has cancelled his scheduled three-day visit to Berlin for the World Health Summit. Organisers confirmed that the last-minute cancellation was prompted by health concerns, leading to the removal of his name from the summit’s official schedule and speaker roster.
The four-day international event, which commenced on Sunday and runs through Tuesday, brings together global healthcare experts, medical researchers, government officials, and representatives from multilateral institutions. Operating under the theme “Building Resilience from Crisis: Innovation for Health,” the summit serves as a premier global forum addressing systemic healthcare challenges, post-pandemic recovery strategies, and technological innovations in public health.
Dr Yunus had originally been listed as a key speaker in a prominent session focusing on global health equity and social business models in healthcare delivery. However, his profile and session details were quietly withdrawn from the event’s public website over the weekend. In response to press enquiries, Anna Stormer, a communications representative for the World Health Summit, confirmed via email that Dr Yunus personally withdrew from the proceedings due to unforeseen health reasons.
The withdrawal follows intense scrutiny and pushback from several European-based diaspora and civil society organisations. Three weeks prior to the event, five prominent groups expressed deep concern over his invited participation and formally petitioned the summit leadership to reconsider his inclusion. The signatories—comprising the South Asia Democratic Forum (Belgium), European Bangladesh Forum (Europe and UK), Working Group Bangladesh in Germany, Earth Civilization Network, and the Freedom and Justice Alliance—raised alarms regarding the former interim administration’s response to a recent measles outbreak in Bangladesh.
In their formal petition, the groups highlighted published reports criticising the interim administration’s handling of public health infrastructure and disease control measures during the outbreak. They argued that these issues warranted an independent, thorough review before bestowing a global platform upon the head of that administration as a keynote speaker.
Alongside discussions surrounding Dr Yunus, Bangladesh remains represented at the gathering. Dr Zubaida Rahman, Vice President of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and wife of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is scheduled to address a session focused on community health initiatives and social welfare programs. Attendees continue to engage in high-level discussions aimed at formulating policy recommendations for global health resilience as the summit concludes its final sessions.
