Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged young people across the world to be visionary, courageous, and determined in transforming their dreams into reality, stressing their unique power to shape a better future.

Youth is not the future, youth is the present,” Professor Yunus said while addressing a delegation of young political activists from Sweden and Norway at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday.

The world is changing fast, and today’s youth are not the same as previous generations. Your upbringing and access to technology make you a different kind of human being — almost a superhuman,” he told the visitors. “All you need to do is ask yourself, ‘What kind of world do I want to create?’ Then commit to it — you have the tools to make it happen.”

The delegation, led by Swedish ambassador Nicolas Weeks and Norwegian ambassador Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen, included young political leaders from various parties in both countries. Among them were Alice Landerholm (Moderate Youth Party), Arian Twana (Social Democratic Youth Party), Anton Holmlund (Liberal Youth Party), Dexter Krokstedt (Sweden Democrats Youth), Hanna Lindqvist (Green Youth Party), and Max Pelin (Christian Democratic Youth Party) from Sweden; and Oda Røhme Sivertsen (Young Conservatives), Lars Mikael Barstad Løvold (Progress Party Youth), and Syver Kleve Kolstad (Red Youth) from Norway.

UNDP representatives Stefan Liller (Resident Representative, Bangladesh), Caroline Aberg (Deputy Director, Nordic Representation Office), Kirtijai Pahari (Strategic Communications and External Relations Specialist), and Emilie Andresen (Communications Analyst) also joined the meeting.

During the discussion, the visiting youth leaders shared their political visions and experiences, while Professor Yunus spoke about Bangladesh’s recent transformation following the July Uprising, youth participation in reform movements, and the upcoming national election.

July was a historic moment, especially because so many young women stood up against a fascist regime,” the Chief Adviser said. “You’ve come at a time when Bangladesh is undergoing significant change. I hope you meet our young people and learn about their aspirations.”

He noted that the July revolutionaries had demanded institutional reforms — particularly constitutional changes — to prevent the return of authoritarianism.

We formed several reform commissions, and to build consensus among political parties, we established a Consensus Commission. Over thirty parties took part in months of debates,” he said. “Finally, all parties reached an agreement, and we’re preparing to sign the July Charter this month. This will be a historic moment for our nation.”

Encouraging the visiting youth leaders to experience Bangladesh beyond official meetings, Professor Yunus said, “Every street here tells a story. The graffiti, wall art, and writings you see are a living museum of youth resistance and dreams.”

The Chief Adviser also discussed his vision of a “Three Zeros” world — Zero Net Carbon Emissions, Zero Wealth Concentration to end poverty, and Zero Unemployment by promoting entrepreneurship — as part of his effort to create a new civilization based on social business and sustainability.