In a last-minute development, Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's former interim government, has been dropped from the keynote speakers' list at the prestigious World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin, Germany. In his two-decade history since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, such an embarrassing and unprecedented incident—having his name removed after being officially invited to an international conference—is without parallel. The World Health Organization (WHO) was compelled to take this stern action following severe objections from multiple international agencies, European organizations, and heightened security concerns.

1. Accountability for Child Fatalities and an Unprecedented Healthcare Disaster

During the 18-month tenure of the former interim government, Bangladesh's healthcare system suffered a devastating collapse. According to statistics from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), a tragic total of 1,156 children died from measles and measles-like symptoms in the country up to October 10 this year. Over the same period, the total number of infected cases reached 238,048, with the vast majority being innocent children under five years of age. According to international organizations, this was not a mere health accident, but the direct result of policy confusion and extreme administrative negligence.

2. Rash Decisions and Stagnation in the Vaccination Program

Reports reveal that around March 2025, the Ministry of Health under the Yunus administration abruptly abolished the long-tested health sector program along with its underlying Operational Plan (OP) framework. This created an administrative vacuum within the health sector. Furthermore, the pre-financing arrangement through the world-renowned agency UNICEF—which enabled the procurement of measles-rubella vaccines at low cost and on easy terms—was suspended. Despite repeated written and verbal warnings from UNICEF, the then-administration turned a deaf ear, forcing thousands of the nation's children to pay a heavy price.

3. Multi-Pronged Pressure from International Agencies and European Organizations

Fierce opposition erupted in the international arena against Muhammad Yunus’s participation in the Berlin Summit:

• Petitions by European Organizations: Five international civil society groups, including Belgium's South Asia Democratic Forum and the European Bangladesh Forum, jointly submitted a petition to the World Health Organization.

• Objections from Gavi and Other Global Bodies: The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Red Cross Society took a direct stance against Yunus's presence. They emphasized that the measles outbreak in Bangladesh was not a natural calamity, but a man-made crisis caused by administrative failure.

4. Bangladesh on the Berlin Summit Agenda and Yunus’s Exclusion

Taking place in Berlin from October 11 to 13, the summit focuses on healthcare crises and systemic resilience. Bangladesh has been featured as a primary case study in one of the summit’s major sessions, titled "Health in Fragile Contexts," which examines the outbreak driven by vaccine policy missteps and bureaucratic bottlenecks during the former government’s tenure. Against this backdrop, Yunus's presence would have sparked unwanted controversy. Instead, official representatives of the Bangladesh government are attending the event.

5. Security Concerns and Diplomatic Embarrassment

The situation was further compounded as permission was granted for expatriate Bangladeshis to hold protest rallies in Germany, raising serious concerns regarding attendee safety and potential security breaches. Weighing the heavy international pressure, strong objections from civil society, and the overall security environment, the World Health Organization was forced to strike his name from the speakers' list. Analysts view this rejection from an international forum—the first since he won the Nobel Prize in 2006—as a major diplomatic setback in Yunus's career.

By Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, Politician & Mayor, Sylhet City Corporation