World Leader for Peace and Security Award 2015
Summary
Prime Minister of Japan and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel were honored as World Leaders for Peace and Security 2015.
Award announcement
Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are named in honor at Global Cybersecurity Day
Boston Global Forum has named Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel as the recipients of the World Leader for Peace, Security and Development Award. This Award is granted to individuals whose outstanding achievements have contributed to peace and security within their country and abroad.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is named as the recipient of The World Leader in Cybersecurity Award which is granted to an individual whose outstanding contributions have led to the advancement of cybersecurity.
Award recipients are selected by a committee of scholars and public officials, guided by nominations from political, media, academic and civic leaders.
Boston Global Forum will announce the Awards at its “Global Cybersecurity Day”, which will be held on December 12 at 10:00 am at the Harvard University Faculty Club.
A preliminary announcement will occur on December 11 at 10:00 pm, which is 12:00 noon, December 12-Tokyo time.
Letter to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Cabinet Secretariat,
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100 – 8968, Japan
Dear Prime Minister Abe,
We write to offer our respect and to thank you for your work to promote peace and cyber security. You have worked tirelessly to make cybersecurity a priority in Japan and in the international community.
You supported the Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security conceived by the Boston Global Forum in December 2015. You also supported the BGF-G7 Summit Initiative – Ise-Shima Norms 2016, when Japan hosted the G-7 Summit. Among the Summit Initiatives was the joint Boston Global Forum-G7 effort to prevent cyberwar and fake news.
You also promoted a human-centric view of Artificial Intelligence that led to the OECD AI Principles which were adopted by the G-20 nations at the Ministerial Summit in Osaka. You also put forward the concept of Data Free Flow with Trust at the World Economic Forum in 2019, a new model for data governance that OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria described as “ambitious and timely.”
And through Abenomics, the “three arrows” of monetary easing, fiscal stimulus, and structural reforms, unemployment had fallen and the ratio of public debt to GDP had leveled off. You brought women to the workforce, grew the economy, and kept deflation under control.
You have long been a great friend of the Boston Global Forum. We were honored to give you the 2015 World Leader in Cybersecurity award for your exemplary leadership and your contributions in promoting cybersecurity in Japan and Asia.
The Boston Global Forum looks forward to future collaboration with the government of Japan as we promote the New Social Contract in the Age of AI, as well as the AI World Society City as a practical model.
Wishing you good health and continued success.
Yours sincerely,
Governor Michael Dukakis
Chair, the Boston Global Forum
Nguyen Anh Tuan
CEO, the Boston Global Forum
Marc Rotenberg
Director, Center for AI and Digital Policy at Michael Dukakis Institute
Remarks of Governor Michael Dukakis
Remarks by Governor Michael Dukakis honoring PM Shinzo Abe in the Global Cybersecurity Day
(BGF) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was named the World Leader in Cybersecurity for his “exemplary leadership and contributions in promoting cybersecurity in Japan and Asia” in the Global Cybersecurity Day event which was held on December 12 at Harvard Faculty Club.
Watch the Governor Dukakis’ remarks here:
Mr. Tsutomu Himeno, Consulate-General of Japan in Boston, expressed his thank you on behalf of Prime Minister Abe and said that the award is a great encouragement.
Read the full remarks by Governor Michael Dukakis in honoring PM Abe’s achievements below:
I am pleased to announce the recipient of this year’s World Leader in Cybersecurity Award—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The World Leader in Cybersecurity Award is given to individuals who contribute significantly to the advancement of cybersecurity.
Prime Minister Abe has worked tirelessly to make cybersecurity a priority in Japan and in the international community. Japan’s private sector particularly was still lagging in its cybersecurity efforts.
Recognizing the problem, and looking ahead to next year’s G7 Summit, which will be held in Japan, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Prime Minister Abe has made cybersecurity a top policy priority.
Under his leadership, Japan recently held the “Cyber3 Conference” in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Prime Minister has initiated and led the creation cabinet-level office to oversee national policy and promote international cooperation, in accordance with the Cybersecurity Basic Act enacted a year ago. And this year, the Prime Minister announced Japan’s Cybersecurity Strategy, a far- reaching plan to strengthen public-private efforts in the cybersecurity efforts. In the strategy, Japan announced an ambitious diplomatic initiative focusing on international rules and inter-governmental capacity building.
Prime Minister Abe has also exerted regional leadership in cybersecurity, engaging in capacity building through the cooperation between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
These and other efforts have put Prime Minister Abe in the forefront among world leaders in advancing the cause of cybersecurity. The Boston Global Forum is honored to present recognize him as a World Leader in Cybersecurity Award.
Remarks by Governor Michael Dukakis honoring Chancellor Merkel in the Global Cybersecurity Day
(BGF) – Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the World Leader in Peace, Security and Development for her “exemplary leadership in promoting peace, security, and development not only in Germany but in the EU and adjoining regions” in the Global Cybersecurity Day event which was held on December 12 at Harvard Faculty Club.
Watch full remarks of Governor Dukakis, Chairman and co-founder of Boston Global Forum, in honoring Chancellor Merkel’s achievements here:
Below is the transcript of the remarks:
I am pleased to announce a recipient of this year’s World Leader in Peace, Security, and Development Award—Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The award is given to individuals who display exemplary leadership in promoting peace, security, and development.
Chancellor Merkel has worked tirelessly toward these goals, not only in Germany but in the EU and adjoining regions.
Now in her 10th year as chancellor, she has a legacy few post-war European leaders can match. She has led Germany through its economic recovery, while also holding together the Euro Zone as it faced the danger of default by a member nation. She has led the European response to the crisis in Ukraine, promoting tough sanctions while speaking out against those that would escalate the military conflict.
Most recently, she has led the European response to the refugee crisis and done so by example, opening Germany’s borders and doors to nearly a million asylum seekers. In words addressed to the German people but intended for all of Europe, she said:
“In many regions war and terror prevail. States disintegrate. For many years we have read about this. We have heard about it. We have seen it on TV. But we had not yet sufficiently understood that what happens in Aleppo and Mosul can affect Essen or Stuttgart. We have to face that now.”
Such efforts have put Chancellor Merkel in the forefront among world leaders in advancing the cause of peace, security, and development. The Boston Global Forum is honored to present her this award.
Acceptance Message
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s award acceptance speech and message to the Global Cybersecurity Day
The messages was sent to Boston Global Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Day First event which was held in the America-Japan Society, Tokyo at 12:00 noon local time on December 12, 2015 ( at 10:00 PM December 11 in Boston time).
In the PM Abe’s view, cybersecurity is a critical issue to the national security and Japan’s crisis management, as well as an important element fostering the Japan’s Growth Strategy. He said his government will “take all possible means to ensure cybersecurity”, given its mission of successfully hosting Ise-Shima Summit in 2016, Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.
In his speech, PM Abe also stressed that “We are now engaged as a national in all our efforts to reinforce cybersecurity. Theses include the Government’s enactment of the Basic Action Cybersecurity in Nov 2014 and a Cabinet Decision taken in Sep this year on our new Cybersecurity Strategy”, and expressed his commitment to cooperate with international communities in the fight against cyber crime: “Japan will continue to cooperate closely with the US and other partners in the International community, reliably safeguard our nation’s important information and property while playing a leading role in achieving the peace and stability of the international community.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s thank you message to BGF’s Award
Gov. Michael Dukakis, BGF’s chairman, in announcing the award, said that Chancellor Merkel has “worked tirelessly toward these goals, not only in Germany, but in the European Union and adjoining regions.
“Now in her 10th year as chancellor, she has a legacy few post-war European leaders can match. She has led Germany through its economic recovery, while also holding together the Euro Zone as it faced the danger of default by a member nation. She has led the European response to the crisis in Ukraine, promoting tough sanctions while speaking out against those who would escalate the military conflict.
“Most recently she has led the European response to the {Mideast} refugee crisis and done so by example, opening Germany’s borders and doors to nearly a million asylum seekers.’’
Mr. Ralf Horlemann, consul general in Boston for the Federal Republic of Germany, in expressing the chancellor’s appreciation for the award, told Governor Dukakis:
“It is a great honor to receive the award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to peace and security. The German government will continue to work for a European solution to the challenges of migration and thus contribute to peace and security in Europe and beyond.’’