Ho, Ho, Ho-
We had come all the way long to publish "Design for the other 90%" in
Japanese language!!
I will make a attribute on this book and will have some articles on
this.

In the context of "SOCIAL DESIGNING" which includes urban planning or
decision making process design and also includes product designing for
the needs embeded very deep inside the community, I will focus also on
DESIGN issues.

In the talk with Ilona from Delft univ and a freelance product
designer, I had come to one conclusion at the end. She said "Designer
has a power to choose design and materials." This is the democracy of
designers and producers. For knowing their own capability so as to
know it's possible to change the world by themselves, the product
designer will have much dignity, and in the end the good circulation
with no waste, decent and simple design will come out and the world
gonna be very BEAUTIFUL finally.

This is my own perspective much inspired by William Morris, but the
designer such as Ilona had the exact same idea.

We are on the role to promote and enhance the ability of design for
the poor (BOP). Many collaboration will definitely follow the talk we
had in NY.

enthusiastic people who is willing to work on this project from their
own heart, and it was actually amazing.
The things I learnt here is that nothing is different if you want
sustainable development which address to the community's social issues,
even if using such a high technology of bio-, micro-, and clean and green.
Yesterday we had come to one conclusion to make up a so-called
initiative which accelerate sustainable development with many other
actors including governments, international organizations, investors,
companies, engineers, technical proffesionals and local entreupreners.
The thing we made up a mind here is to set up a pipeline which make the
access to information smoothly back and forth, from top to the bottom,
from the bottom to the top.
We especially take much care for the feedback system from the local
site, because it's worth hearing, worth knowing, and that would be the
only resource which make us more innovative.
Innovation with PPP will happen from our team, I hope.

Now we at last had a whole day meeting with everybody... It's
fascinating that I can meet almost more than 30-40 people who are
originally related in BOP projects. It is quite a good asset for me to
get to know each other not only because we are in the same field of BOP
issues, but also because we are very similar when thinking about the way
of life and their way of living and ideas will inspire me the most
individually.

I was in the team of Convergence task team to develop ideas how to
spread the idea of convergence.

Anyway long long talk with everybody makes me dizzy at the end of work
shop as my jet lag is very heavy, and I will write about the idea we
developed tomorrow.

Now it's starting. It is actually exciting especially today because many of the attendees are from almuni of Cornell and they are actually doing their own business other than Bop matters. Stu Hart had a thought of mingling all those BOP related researchers and those who had become interested in cleantech and sustainability recently.

Enthusiasm of Cleantech had come too much sometimes and thus the Carbon credit or financial activities on Carbon something had become very popular and powerful. I used to engage with CDM project developing before but I couldn't figure out my question till the end. "IS CDM
REALLY GOOD FOR THE EARTH?"

I think the basic thought for this forum today is the same idea as Stu had envoked a question and raising a proposal about conversion of Cleantech and BOP. It says, "Unfortunately, the vast majority of these investments are focused purely on sustainable technology development
targeted at the 'top of the pyramid'."


And, "Comparatively littele attention is being paid to creative commercialization strategies or distribution models for clean technologies at the base of the pyramid, raising the concern that large numbers of them might fail in the coming years."

This is true. That is why I came here all the way from Tokyo to find out or to find some companies who can struggle for this question together.
I understand that it's still in the half way, but it will attract people, mostly business people. But I don't know how deep they understood might affect in the end to real projects. I'll wait and see
the dialogue we will continue from now on.

I had come to NYC from Tokyo, (it's been 5 yrs since I came here last time, wow), and set up my surroundings towards BOP conference in Hilton, New York.
Why NYC? Why Hilton? for BOP?
No, it's the global forum by Cornell University. I was a bit related with Stuart Hart and his team in Cornell, (Stu is the author of "Capitalism at the cross road"), and in that connection, I was also
invited to this forum by luck.
Almost 100 people will get together, who is in the front line of BOP projects in the world, and we will discuss about how we proceed the BOP projects in the near future.
Convergence and guideline setting for the future, is the one main target of this conference's outcome.
I think, form my viewpoints, many things must be done for BOP projects developing more sustainablly. Negative case collections must be done sooner or later, and also innovation is very crucial but it has to be from the very bottom of people's heart in BOP.
Actually I cannot wait for 2days later we will concentrate on working group discussions as many people will come over to revise the protocol and guidelines for the future essence.
If you are delegates, see you soon in hilton.

2 days ago, some place in Tokyo, many people had gathered for a seminar of BOP business frontier of Japanese company. Mr. Shintani had gathered almost over 60 people to Tokyo meeting place and finally a staff from KAO cosmetic company had a lecture there.
Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the meeting as for my private staff to do, but these enthusiasm had started since last year. Many will come from enterprises, but most of the audience has no projects to BOP but intend to do something in the near future within his/her company or outside.
This meeting group is called "SUS-KEN" (stand for sustainable Kenkyukai, meaning self-research association for sustainability) and it started some Old boys and girls from training course in FASID, focusing on development method with enterprises' CSR direction.
FASID OB/OG had started this meeting since several years ago and they continuously discussed human development. Most of the members are somehow engaged in development in developing or emerging countries,  but recent new comers are more away from development or aid to the poor. They are more likely to stay in the developed countries and to do something contribution to the developing country's social issues to be solved.
I had a lecture there in Oct, after coming back from Helsinki of Base of the pyramid conference, and there we had over 40 audience from all over related fields. It was fascinating meeting place with people having a strong will and ideas and I could get close to some very important people who had an initiative in Japanese BOP dialogues.
From overseas, FTSE's SRI manager had came and talked about enterprises' CSR last year. If you have a chance to come to Tokyo and will have time for connecting people with BOP ideas, please contact me and I will take you to SUS ken if possible.

It's hard to understand, for the first moment, that governmental organization got inspired and have much interest in BOP project developing for the poor. But, the move is shown in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, JETRO, and also the ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Most of them focus on how Japanese companies got into the depth of emerging coutnries and with those activities, how the governmantal organization contribute to enterprises and international reputation at the same time. This idea is all embeded in the movements built by USAID and UNDP, DFID etc.

How can it be appropriate to engage in BOP projects by national/governmenatal organization, especially which usually act as trade and industry protection. I can understand easily with the idea of aid agency searching for new type of Public-Private partnerships, but how will it be protective to the poor when BOP project is built with the aim of trade and industry spreading.

I don't deny or criticize this move but just doubt that it might be very tough road for the ministries and the poor at the same time. Hope that they don't get in rush, and will take a long history of dialogues in the end.

Since last month, I had been engaged in the social/ autonomous projects among Japanese investers, which is very exciting, maybe the most exciting movement in individual social investers in Japan right now, and I'm going to contribute my self to this movement with Kono-san, who is full of energy and charming warmness.
The first call for investment was for Cambodian agricultural self help group, which had a SURI method on rice making with very empowering soft service for rural areas.
My contribution will be based on website publishing and making networks between global BOP idea having people.

I'm not actually familiar with invester's customs and their activities, but we focus on "dialogue with the invested". I will make a website with communication tools for the inevesters and the invested, which will be the next criteria making process for social investment.

Please contact me, if you have any interest in "Social Investement for Cambodia".

When I think of starting this blog, I thought the things I can do for BOP innovation is not only developing the onsite projects, but also delivering many ideas which is totally brand-new and innovative, at the same time, very significant for low-income population.

Most of the people have no idea, what kind of ideas will be useful in the next generation, next market, next dynamic-changing world.
Most of the people would like to know attractive and innovative ideas which makes many people happier and wealthy.
Most of the people have no access to such a ideas and that is the reason why people get hopeless for poverty prevailing and unease of this world.

But I think we can change with small ideas.
If everyone wish to have small ideas, innovative and brings good social impact to the porr, the world gonna change a lot. Small changes, big difference.

That's why I said "IDEA NEEDS NO BORDER"
for the rich or not, for the poor or not, it doesn't matter at all.
The world will be cloud-based constructed and many polars all over the world will bring you much value if you can collaborate them together creatively.

Shino