King Charles III on Thursday conferred the prestigious “Harmony Award 2025” on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, recognizing his lifelong efforts to promote peace, sustainability and harmony between people and the environment.
In June 2024, King Charles launched a new set of awards celebrating living in harmony with nature.
Before the award ceremony, King Charles III welcomed Chief Adviser Prof Yunus for a private “audience” at the Buckingham Palace.
An “audience” is simply a one-to-one meeting with the king.
“The British monarch is an admirer of Prof Yunus' work including his pioneering microcredit bank, his championing social businesses to combat poverty and his campaign for Three Zeroes to save civilization from self-destruction,” Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told UNB.
“King Charles even wrote a foreword for one of Prof Yunus' books,” he said.
In the meeting that lasted for 30 minutes, they discussed the massive transition in Bangladesh and the chief adviser informed King Charles of the reform initiatives taken by his government in Bangladesh.
Describing the meeting as a cordial one, Alam said that since King Charles has known Prof Yunus for a long time, they discussed many issues.
“In this whole tour, I would say it was the most important event,” said the press secretary.
By meeting people privately, or “granting an audience”, the King acknowledges the importance of certain individuals and their work, and creates an opportunity to learn more about them and give them a memorable Royal experience.
The inaugural winner of the King Charles III Harmony Award was former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.
The awards from the King's Foundation are a cause close to the king's heart. He's spoken about the almost spiritual concept of humanity living in harmony with the natural world.
It is based on the King's principle: "We should work with nature, not against it."
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke has already extended her congratulations to Prof Yunus on his forthcoming receipt of the prestigious King Charles Harmony Award.
"It is a great honour," the chief adviser said, referring to the award when the High Commissioner met him in Dhaka recently.
Meanwhile, Sarah Cooke, currently in London, on Thursday said she was pleased with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’ visit to the UK.
"Fantastic to welcome Hon Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to the UK this week," she wrote from her verified X handle.
The high commissioner said his (Prof Yunus) wide ranging program of meetings underscore their "shared commitment to democracy, trade and investment, climate action, regional security and support to the Rohingya."
Chief Adviser Prof Yunus arrived on Tuesday, beginning his four-day official visit to renew their bilateral ties with the United Kingdom, with an increased focus on economic cooperation, trade and investment.
“This is a very important visit,” said acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique, noting that the relationship between Bangladesh and the UK is very deep and diverse.
He added that the visit would play a significant role in strengthening bilateral relations.
