Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources, has urged Muslim-majority nations to move beyond rhetoric and lead with genuine social business solutions in the global pursuit of Three Zeros — zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions.
She emphasised the moral imperative of transforming economic models to reflect shared values of equity and sustainability while speaking at the International Social Business Summit (ISBS) 2025: NGO Leadership for the Three Zeros in the Muslim World held at a hotel in Dhaka today (5 July).
“What we need most is not just uttering values, but practising them,” she told an audience of NGO representatives, academics, and policymakers from across the Muslim world.
The summit convened key stakeholders to discuss socially driven alternatives to prevailing economic structures.
In her address as chief guest, Rizwana criticised the unchecked advance of ultra-capitalism for degrading ecosystems and deepening social inequality.
“If we don’t correct our current models of operation, we won’t be able to save the planet. Many countries will go underwater by the end of this century, and entire civilisations will disappear,” she warned.
Framing social business as both a moral and practical response, Rizwana pointed to its alignment with Islamic principles. “Islam calls for action, not just preaching. It speaks clearly against inequity, and the idea of social business is not to profit by creating misery. It is about earning with the intention of giving back, not hoarding wealth,” she said.
She also praised Zakat, Islam’s obligatory charitable practice, as a time-tested model for fair wealth distribution.
“When we pay taxes, we expect the state to support the poor. Yet, public funds often go to mega projects that fail to uplift the vulnerable,” she said, while stressing the need for accountability and moral courage among Muslim states.
Calling for more inclusive economic governance, Rizwana urged leaders to redefine their consumption habits and distinguish between needs and excesses. “We must redefine necessity versus excess.”
As Rizwana noted, “We are not supposed to hate or discriminate. We are meant to speak from compassion, embrace diversity, and value all communities.”
The environment adviser also lamented the lack of a unified voice from the Muslim world in times of humanitarian crises. “Why is it that many Muslim countries remain silent when innocent Palestinians are being killed? Brotherhood without moral courage is meaningless,” she said while stressing, “We must stop wars, permanently.”
Among other notable speakers were Prof Halis Yunus Ersöz, deputy minister of Youth and Sports, Türkiye; Prof Dr Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of North South University and chairman of Grameen Bank’s Board of Directors; and Eyup Akbal, secretary general of the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW), Türkiye.
The summit, organised to coincide with growing calls for climate justice and sustainable development, concluded with a collective commitment to reinforce ethical leadership, advance grassroots economic innovation, and strengthen transnational collaboration rooted in social business models.
LND/SAE
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