Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo were joined Friday by a 100 of France’s leading social economy entrepreneurs and organizations at Paris’ City Hall to explore innovative ways to make the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games the most inclusive ever.
The event was also attended by Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois. One Hundred French flagship start-ups from the new economy came together at the event to share ideas on innovation, solidarity and social issues, and to discuss how collectively they can enhance the organization of the 2024 Games.
Those organizations already represent 10 per cent of jobs and 12,230 projects in Paris. The City of Paris and Paris 2024 hope to mobilize their collective expertise to play a key role in helping to plan an inclusive and socially responsible Games that demonstrates a strong social purpose and deliver real communities legacies.
Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist and entrepreneur said”I was impressed by the level of enthusiasm displayed by the entrepreneurs and start-ups involved in today’s gathering of minds.”
“There was a real sense of purpose and a clear desire from those involved to support the Paris 2024 bid and make the Games as socially responsible and inclusive as possible.”
Hidalgo said “by mobilizing our network of socially-conscious business entrepreneurs, Paris 2024 can deliver real community legacies that focus on inclusion, innovation and responsible social development. We are committed to sharing the social benefits and impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games across our city, country and internationally.”
Thobois added “in addition to delivering an unforgettable celebration of sport, we want Paris 2024 to be a model of inclusion, sustainable development and social innovation – building on the city’s global leadership in social business, the sharing economy and smart city thinking.”
These qualities are naturally in line with the values of sport and Olympism, a guarantee that we will have purposeful Games with a lasting legacy on communities. We believe this innovative way of thinking and living is embraced by the new generation in France and our aim is to harness the power of the Games to spread the message of sustainability and positive social impact internationally.
“We are fortunate to have the full support of Professor Yunus and of Paris’ influential network of leading thinkers in this area, and we look forward to further developing some of the exciting ideas that came from today’s meeting in the months ahead”.
Paris and Los Angeles are competing to host the 2024 Games. The winning city will be selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru.
