by Editor BGF | Sep 15, 2023 | News
Boston Global Forum (BGF) and Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) Honor Esteemed Spiritual Leader Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) with 2023 World Leader for Peace and Security Award
Celebrating Amma’s Legacy, Spiritual Values, and Leadership as Chair of C20 India 2023
Amma’s Legacy and Spiritual Values Significantly Contribute to Building AIWS – The Age of Global Enlightenment
Boston, September 15, 2023 – The Boston Global Forum (BGF) and the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) proudly honor Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), an esteemed spiritual leader and Chair of the Civil 20 Engagement Group of the G20. Amma is globally recognized as a symbol of hope and compassion, and she receives the prestigious 2023 World Leader for Peace and Security Award. This accolade acknowledges Amma’s profound legacy, steadfast commitment to spiritual values, and her influential role in global leadership.
Amma’s remarkable influence transcends traditional boundaries, encompassing spiritual wisdom and compassionate leadership. As Chair of C20 Summit India 2023, she advocates for unity, compassion, and collective well-being in an ever-evolving world, epitomizing the summit’s motto, “You Are the Light.” Her dedication to fostering a fair and sustainable planet aligns with the missions of world peace, security, and the mandates of BGF and MDI.
Amma’s legacy of compassion and her leadership within the C20 Summit India 2023 seamlessly align with the principles of AI World Society (AIWS) – The Age of Global Enlightenment. BGF and MDI proudly integrate Amma’s spiritual values into the fabric of AIWS, enriching the initiative’s vision for a more enlightened, compassionate, and secure world.
Governor Michael Dukakis, Chair of the Boston Global Forum, remarked, “We are profoundly honored to recognize Amma as a World Leader for Peace and Security. Her tireless efforts to promote love, compassion, and global unity are truly exemplary. Amma’s legacy will continue to inspire our collective journey towards a more harmonious world, perfectly aligning with the AIWS initiative.”
The integration of Amma’s spiritual values into AIWS represents a powerful fusion of technology and humanity, where compassion and enlightenment converge to address global challenges. As AIWS endeavors to shape a brighter future for all, Amma’s principles further empower the initiative’s ability to nurture a more ethical, secure, and equitable world. In the words of the communique issued at the C20 Summit in Jaipur, India, on July 31, “we recognize the rapid and widespread change brought about by digital transformation, offering unprecedented advancements for improving the human condition… We call for a new social contract to unite and protect an Artificial Intelligence World Society.”
With profound respect and gratitude, BGF and MDI extend their heartfelt congratulations to Amma, a guiding light in our intricate world. The legacy of her leadership and spiritual wisdom will reverberate perpetually within AI World Society – The Age of Global Enlightenment and will be introduced at the House of Honor of AIWS City.
Two significant events are on the horizon to honor Amma. On October 3, India will celebrate Amma’s 70th birthday, and on November 2, a special gathering will take place at Esteem Loeb House, Harvard University, where she will deliver a Distinguished Global Enlightenment Speech. Additionally, BGF is organizing a Global Enlightenment Concert on October 3 to pay tribute to her.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tuan Nguyen, CEO of the Boston Global Forum
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 617 286 6589
Jim McManus
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 617 413 9232
Previous recipients of the World Leader for Peace and Security Award:
- 2015: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
- 2016: Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
- 2017: Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves
- 2018: Finnish President Sauli Niinisto
- 2019: Latvian President and President of World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid Vaira Vike-Freiberga
- 2020: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
- 2021: Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen
- 2022: President Volodymyr Zelensky and all Ukrainian people
About Boston Global Forum (BGF): The Boston Global Forum (BGF) is an international think tank based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its mission is to convene thought leaders, policymakers, scholars, and business leaders to collaborate on critical issues impacting peace, security, and economic development.
About Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI): The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) is committed to fostering leadership, promoting innovation, and enhancing cooperation to address global challenges. Through research, forums, and initiatives, MDI brings leaders from diverse sectors together to develop practical solutions for a better world.
by Editor BGF | Sep 18, 2025 | Executive Board
Vibhav Kant Upadhyay is a development leader known for his statesmanship, macro-vision and pragmatism.
A prolific out-of-the-box thinker, Vibhav strongly believes that the current development model needs a foundational change and has dedicated his life towards manifesting this thought process into visible and tangible results through the Alternative Development Model (ADM).
Vibhav’s leadership successfully catalysed the India- Japan Global Partnership (IJGP) initiative which was announced in the year 2000 by the leaders of India and Japan.
With relentless persuasion, he has nurtured and strengthened the strategic relationship between the two nations. This has led to mega-initiatives like the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), which Vibhav is currently dedicated to furthering the development framework of ADM and initiatives based on it through the manifestation platforms and organizations in India, Japan and Global Partners. Under this model, the collaborative strengths and resources of Global Partners are utilized to empower not just the developed but the developing nations too.
Vibhav believes that India and Africa are the socio- economic labs for the ADM model and Norway is the living lab. With one-sixth of humanity each in India and Africa, the adoption of ADM can become an example in the world for sustainable development for humanity.
Vibhav focuses on ethos of contributory, inclusive and accessible , championing the cause of a common man. His initiatives have led to thousands of projects creating opportunities, employment and vibrant economy.
Vibhav is the Founder and Chairman of various organizations including the Alternative Development Organisation (ADO) in Oslo, Norway, India-Japan Foundation (IJF) Tokyo, Japan and India Center Foundation (ICF) New Delhi, India. He is also the Founder Chairman of Global Partnership Summit (GPS), a platform to take forward the Alternative Development Model (ADM) framework and initiatives based on it by manifesting unique ideas into tangible outcomes by empowering G2G, G2B and B2B interaction.
The organisations take forward seminal, innovative initiatives to establish ADM around the world focusing on areas such as Infrastructure, Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Environment and Social Justice.
Vibhav was born in Agra, India. He has a Post-Graduate degree from the University of Allahabad. He has a second Post-Graduate degree from the University of Tokyo.
Vibhav is prolific in Japanese language besides Hindi and English.
by Editor BGF | Aug 20, 2023 | Global Enlightenment Leaders
Enrico Letta was Prime Minister of Italy from 2013 to 2014.
Born on 20 August, 1966 in Pisa, Italy. Mr Letta graduated from the University of Pisa in International Law and holds a doctorate in European Community Law from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa.
He was Minister of European Affairs from 1998 to 1999 (the youngest minister in the history of the Italian Republic history of the Italian Republic, in charge of community policies at the age of 32), Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade from 1999 to 2001, Member of the European Parliament (2004-2006), then President of the Council of Ministers from April 2013 to February 2014. Mr Letta was formerly Dean of the School of International Affairs of Sciences Po Paris (PSIA) and former President of the Italian Council of Ministers.
He is currently president of the Institut Jacques Delors and Secretary of the Italian Democratic Party (since 2021). Mr Letta speaks Italian, French and English.
by Editor BGF | Aug 19, 2023 | News
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the recipient of World Leader for Peace and Security Award 2015 and a distinguished contributor of the book “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.” Abe, more than any modern political leader of Japan, paved the way for security reform in Tokyo. During his second tenure as […]
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the recipient of World Leader for Peace and Security Award 2015 and a distinguished contributor of the book “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.”
Abe, more than any modern political leader of Japan, paved the way for security reform in Tokyo.
During his second tenure as prime minister in the early to mid-2010s, he sparked changes. The parliament passed a state secrets law that set stiff penalties for mishandling documents and for leaking information. Abe set up a National Security Council, modeled in part after the U.S. version, to advise the prime minister.
Antiwar and civil-liberties activists protested the reforms, claiming they were infringing on privacy rights and voicing concerns about an expanding national security state. But by 2013, when the law was passed, the geopolitical landscape had shifted. The public had come to see that decades of a nominal commitment to self-defense had only emboldened a rising Beijing.
China had aggressively responded to Japan’s nationalization of the Senkaku Islands, flooding the waters off the islands with Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia. In the South China Sea, it was turning remote atolls into military outposts seemingly overnight. President Xi Jinping had come to power, accelerating a vast military modernization. Meanwhile, North Korea continued provocative nuclear tests.
Abe was assassinated in July 2022, but his legacy lives on. Over the last decade, attitudes toward China have hardened: Today, a majority of Japanese view the Chinese government unfavorably, while support for the U.S. alliance is at an all-time high.
Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/08/07/china-japan-hack-pentagon/
Yasuhida Nakayama, former State Minister of Defense, a Global Enlightenment Leader, and Coordinator of Shinzo Abe Initiative for Peace and Security said “The ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ initiative advocated by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe feels like a concept that holds the potential and necessity to thrive geopolitically in this 21st century.
What I wanted to emphasize is that the mandatory implementation of the nine-dash line by private companies is indeed a concern. Moreover, the underlying preparations by the Chinese Communist Party through the National Defense Mobilization Law and the Anti-Spy Law might potentially exacerbate the enforcement of the nine-dash line, as pointed out by professors and experts.”
‘A free and open Indo-Pacific’: With a single phrase, Shinzo Abe changed America’s view of Asia and China, by CNN https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/asia/shinzo-abe-legacy-china-japan-indo-pacific-intl-hnk/index.html
by Editor BGF | Aug 16, 2023 | News
Boston Globe, August 15, 2023
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/15/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-regulating-ai/
It is heartening to see the Globe ramp up coverage and commentary on AI’s promise and risks and the increasingly urgent debate over how to regulate this fast-developing sector. As millions of Americans flock to movie theaters to see the movie “Oppenheimer,” it reminds us that, as in the past, we need to have a full and open debate about the potential for revolutionary technologies.
Throughout 2023, the Boston Global Forum and the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation have hosted conferences during which world leaders have explored the impact of artificial intelligence on governance, privacy, public health, economies, and the quality of information. We support thoughtful regulation of AI within a human-centered framework, informed by experience and the imperatives of maintaining openness and civil social order. It is heartening to see that major AI players are, at least publicly, cooperative and amenable to government engagement.
The Biden administration has taken important steps to make the federal government a responsible user of AI. It is vital that Congress develop an independent oversight and regulatory body modeled on the one being proposed for the European Union and protect citizens and consumers from potential disinformation and data collection abuses by technology companies. After falling behind on regulating social media, this is a chance to navigate and guide the next technological leap.
Michael S. Dukakis
Chairman and cofounder
Nguyen Anh Tuan
CEO and cofounder
Boston Global Forum
Boston
by Editor BGF | Jul 23, 2023 | World Leaders in AIWS Award Updates
JAPANESE ECONOMIC SECURITY MINISTER SANAE TAKAICHI IS HONORED WITH THE WORLD LEADER IN AIWS AWARD 2023
Boston Global Forum and Michael Dukakis Institute honored JAPANESE ECONOMIC SECURITY MINISTER SANAE TAKAICHI, WITH THE WORLD LEADER IN AIWS AWARD 2023
Remarks of Governor Michael Dukakis Honoring JAPANESE ECONOMIC SECURITY MINISTER SANAE TAKAICHI 2023 World Leader in AI World Society Award Harvard University Faculty Club, April 26, 2023
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great honor today to give Japanese Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi the World Leader in AIWS Award for 2023.
Minister Takaichi has dedicated her career to promoting economic growth, social equity, and technological innovation in Japan and beyond.
Affiliated with Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives since 1993, she has served as Japan’s Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy and, most recently, Minister of State for Economic Security.
In her latest position, she had made significant contributions to Japan’s national security and economic policies. She has been instrumental in strengthening Japan’s cybersecurity and protecting its critical infrastructure, including its power grids and financial system, from cyber-attacks. And she has been actively involved in developing Japan’s economic policies, including fostering innovation, investing in technology, addressing the nation’s labor shortage, and managing the country’s aging population.
Under her leadership, Japan has taken steps to improve its economic security, including the establishment of a new agency dedicated to cybersecurity and the development of a comprehensive strategy for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. She has also played an important role in strengthening Japan’s economic and security relationships with other countries, including the United States.
More broadly, Minister Takaichi’s achievements and contributions as the Minister of State for Economic Security have focused on ensuring Japan’s long-term economic growth and stability, while also addressing the challenges posed by digital-age security threats. Her leadership in promoting responsible AI is a model for other leaders, a model that will ensure for all of us a more peaceful and prosperous world.
My warmest congratulations, on behalf of the Boston Global Forum and the AI World Society, to Minister Sanae Takaichi on this richly deserved award.
by Editor BGF | Jul 23, 2023 | World Leaders in AIWS Award Updates
Boston Global Forum and Michael Dukakis Institute honored JAPANESE ECONOMIC SECURITY MINISTER SANAE TAKAICHI, WITH THE WORLD LEADER IN AIWS AWARD 2023
Remarks of Governor Michael Dukakis Honoring JAPANESE ECONOMIC SECURITY MINISTER SANAE TAKAICHI 2023 World Leader in AI World Society Award Harvard University Faculty Club, April 26, 2023
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great honor today to give Japanese Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi the World Leader in AIWS Award for 2023.
Minister Takaichi has dedicated her career to promoting economic growth, social equity, and technological innovation in Japan and beyond.
Affiliated with Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives since 1993, she has served as Japan’s Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy and, most recently, Minister of State for Economic Security.
In her latest position, she had made significant contributions to Japan’s national security and economic policies. She has been instrumental in strengthening Japan’s cybersecurity and protecting its critical infrastructure, including its power grids and financial system, from cyber-attacks. And she has been actively involved in developing Japan’s economic policies, including fostering innovation, investing in technology, addressing the nation’s labor shortage, and managing the country’s aging population.
Under her leadership, Japan has taken steps to improve its economic security, including the establishment of a new agency dedicated to cybersecurity and the development of a comprehensive strategy for promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. She has also played an important role in strengthening Japan’s economic and security relationships with other countries, including the United States.
More broadly, Minister Takaichi’s achievements and contributions as the Minister of State for Economic Security have focused on ensuring Japan’s long-term economic growth and stability, while also addressing the challenges posed by digital-age security threats. Her leadership in promoting responsible AI is a model for other leaders, a model that will ensure for all of us a more peaceful and prosperous world.
My warmest congratulations, on behalf of the Boston Global Forum and the AI World Society, to Minister Sanae Takaichi on this richly deserved award.
by Editor BGF | Jun 29, 2023 | Event Updates
Time: July 5, 2023, at 10:00 am EST (Boston time), 4:00 pm PST (San Francisco time), 7:30 pm IST (New Delhi time).
Zoom link: amrita.link/c20tst
Speaker: Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of Boston Global Forum (BGF)
Topic: “Global Enlightenment Community: From Words to Actions – The Urgency for Governmental and Civic Action”
Introduction to Civil20 (C20) Global Internet Governance, Digital Empowerment, and Security Alliance (GLIDES):
We are delighted to have a distinguished speaker, Mr. Tuan Nguyen, CEO of Boston Global Forum (BGF), addressing the GLIDES July 2023 monthly meeting. Mr. Nguyen will present on the topic “Global Enlightenment Community: From Words to Actions – The Urgency for Governmental and Civic Action.” His insights will greatly benefit our CSO members.
Mr. Nguyen is not only the CEO of Boston Global Forum but also the director of the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI). He is a co-founder of the AI World Society Innovation Network (AIWS.net), co-founder of AIWS City (AIWS.city), and co-author of the books “Social Contract for the AI Age” and “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment.”
Zoom link: amrita.link/c20tst
We eagerly anticipate your participation in this monthly meeting to engage in thoughtful deliberations and policy dialogues.
For more information about C20 GLIDES, please visit their website: https://c20.amma.org/tst-wg/global-internet-governance-digital-empowerment-and-security-alliance-glides/
Best regards,
Civil20 (C20) Working Group on Technology, Security, & Transparency (TST)
Website: https://c20.amma.org/tst-wg/
by Editor BGF | May 24, 2023 | Papers & Reports, Publications
Download The Digital Governance Shared Framework for Global Governance AI Assistants and ChatGPT here, please.
