Dr Muhammad Yunus’s participation as a special speaker at the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin, Germany, was reportedly cancelled at the last minute following a memorandum and petitions submitted by five international organisations focused on human rights and political developments.
The three-day summit began on Sunday, October 11. Yunus had been included in a provisional list of special speakers published in July, but his name was absent from the final list of speakers.
The organisations raised concerns over Bangladesh’s recent measles outbreak, disruptions to routine immunisation programmes and reported vaccine supply shortages. They called for an independent review of allegations of mismanagement in vaccine distribution and neglect of public health services during the interim government led by Yunus.
In a joint petition, the groups made three demands: reconsider the decision to invite Yunus as a special speaker; if the invitation remained in place, require him to publicly address the measles situation; and include affected families, paediatricians and independent public health experts in discussions on the crisis.
Information regarding the matter was also reported citing Anna Stormer, the summit’s director of communications and press, and senior communications manager Marie Olfer.
Meanwhile, permission was reportedly obtained from the police to organise a demonstration by around 400 expatriate Bangladeshis outside the summit venue to protest Yunus’s participation. Mizanur Haque Khan, one of the organisers, was reportedly informed of the matter by Berlin police on Saturday.
The five organisations behind the petition are the South Asia Democratic Forum, European Bangladesh Forum, Working Group Bangladesh in Germany, Earth Civilization Network and Freedom and Justice Alliance.
Held under the theme “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovation for Health,” the World Health Summit 2026 is scheduled to continue until October 13. The summit brings together participants to discuss challenges facing global health systems, public health and innovation in healthcare.
Bangladesh is expected to be represented at special sessions scheduled for October 11 and 12.
The reported cancellation of Yunus’s participation comes amid calls from the petitioning organisations for greater accountability over public health management in Bangladesh. However, the precise reasons for the reported change in the final speaker lineup were not independently established in the information available.
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