Boston, Texas, USA: The Boston Global Forum (BGF) has officially designated Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, Chairman of the India Centre Foundation (ICF) in New Delhi, as its Representative in India. The appointment, which took effect on September 16, establishes a new chapter of cooperation between BGF and ICF to promote shared global initiatives focused on peace, innovation, and sustainable development.
Governor Michael Dukakis, Co-founder and Chair of BGF, expressed strong support for the appointment, acknowledging Upadhyay’s leadership and global perspective.
“Mr Upadhyay’s insight and dedication will strengthen India’s role in shaping discussions on peace, governance, and technological progress,” Dukakis noted.
In his new role, Upadhyay will lead BGF’s major initiatives in India, including the AIWS Government 24/7, the Boston Finance Accord, and the Shinzo Abe Initiative. Through his leadership at ICF, Upadhyay has been instrumental in fostering India’s strategic and developmental ties across the Indo-Pacific region.
Shinzo Abe Film Collaboration
Following his appointment, Upadhyay joined Yasuhide Nakayama (former Japanese State Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs) and Nguyen Anh Tuan (BGF Co-founder and Co-Chair) in Nha Trang, Vietnam, to advance work on “The Shinzo Abe Film”, a flagship project under the AI World Society (AIWS) Film Park.
The meetings, held on September 16–17, brought together Vietnamese officials and cultural leaders to finalise production details. The film, designed to celebrate the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s vision of peace, democracy, and Indo-Pacific cooperation, began filming at the AIWS House Nha Trang and the Potique Hotel.
At an event in Phan Thiet, the HZ Group pledged USD 100,000 to sponsor the project. The production team—comprising Upadhyay, Nakayama, and Tuan—emphasised that the film represents BGF’s broader mission to uphold Abe’s legacy of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
Architect of the Alternative Development Model (ADM)
Vibhav Kant Upadhyay is widely recognised as the creator of the Alternative Development Model (ADM)—a global framework advocating a shift from systems of exploitation toward empowerment-based development.
In a recent statement for the Global Alliance for Digital Governance, he argued that the current global growth paradigm, which relies heavily on extraction and inequality, must transition toward sustainability, inclusion, and equity.
“The real threat,” Upadhyay wrote, “is not in the past choices of developed nations, but in others repeating the same mistakes.”
ADM rests on three key pillars—empowerment, equity, and sustainability—and offers policy mechanisms to create ethical, resilient systems of progress.
This model complements BGF’s AI World Society (AIWS) initiative, which promotes ethical technology use, particularly in artificial intelligence, to support democratic and humanitarian values. Together, ADM and AIWS represent what Upadhyay describes as a “new civilisation model” — blending sustainability with responsible innovation.
India–Japan Collaboration and Global Impact
Upadhyay has played a pivotal role in nurturing strategic relations between India and Japan, including his contribution to launching the India–Japan Global Partnership in 2000.
His development-driven vision has influenced several major initiatives, such as the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor and other collaborative platforms aimed at advancing equitable growth and cross-regional cooperation.
