Muhammad Yunus returns to work at his NGO after 18-month stint leading Bangladesh interim govt

The 85-year-old arrived at the Yunus Centre office in Mirpur on Sunday morning, where he was welcomed by colleagues, according to a post shared on the organisation’s Facebook page.

“A warm welcome to Professor Muhammad Yunus as he returned to his former duties on Sunday, following an 18-month hiatus during which he led Bangladesh's Interim Government,” the post read.

Yunus greeted staff members and was presented with flowers upon his arrival.

He later held meetings with managing directors and advisers from Grameen organisations and the Yunus Centre to review projects that had been paused during his time in office and to outline plans going forward.

Return to private life

Yunus is also set to resume living at his residence in Gulshan, Dhaka, by the end of the month. During his tenure as chief adviser, he had stayed at the official residence allotted to him by the state.

He formally stepped down on February 16, days after the formation of a newly elected government following the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections.

Yunus assumed leadership of the interim administration on August 8, 2024, following a mass student-led uprising that resulted in the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

He returned from self-imposed exile the same month after the removal of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Reflecting on that moment, Yunus described it as “a day of great liberation,” adding that Bangladeshis around the world had celebrated what he called the country’s release from authoritarian rule.

In his farewell address to the nation, Yunus said, “Today, the interim government is stepping down. But let the practice of democracy, freedom of speech, and fundamental rights that have begun not be halted.”

National elections were held on February 12, after which Yunus handed over power to the newly elected government. He congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its leader Tarique Rahman on what he described as a “landslide victory.”

Rahman has since assumed office, becoming the country’s first male prime minister in 35 years.