As our world grows ever more tightly knit and cultures and values come into closer contact, we find ourselves facing an unprecedented degree of conflict. Problems that threaten the very fundamentals of life, such as poverty, starvation and sickness, are intensifying around the world.

Of course, it is vital for many sectors of society to work together as we address these issues. Yet, my experience has been that such partnerships are not always enough. In tackling new problems, we must first step back and reexamine the fundamental bottlenecks in our problem-solving process.

For more than thirty years, in my work with The Nippon Foundation's international cooperation program, I have been able to examine many different methods of improving our ways of thinking and acting. I personally feel that my work, rather than simply being philanthropy, should be fieldwork, and I personally spend a great deal of time in the field. The reason is that I firmly believe that if we do not understand the needs, difficulties and conflicts of the areas that we are trying to reach, we cannot be effective in our development work and humanitarian support. Both the problems, and their answers, lie in the field.

In my work, however, I have come to the painful realization that one major stumbling block to our ability to resolve problems lies, not so much with the people who are facing the difficulty themselves, as with those of us who come in from the outside to create solutions.

We who work to overcome problems know that the people who suffer under them are both willing and able to deal with them. However, there are many times in which they are not able to realize their own potential. The reason is this: while the best solution to any problem is one that suits the lifestyle and wisdom of the people it affects, too often the groups that try to help simply employ their own value systems and methods. They do not take into account differing ways of thinking, or try new methods of approaching problems.

Our world is amazingly diverse. For every hundred people, there are a hundred different concepts of common sense. When we confront problems, we absolutely must respect the value systems and cultures concerned, and not get waylaid by our own ways of thought. We must put our faith in the will and strength of the people caught up in the issue, and include them in equal partnerships as we work toward our goal. We must actively seek out differing points of view, because by combining diverse value systems and cultures we can devise truly original and dynamic solutions.

It is not easy to transcend our differences and create new ways of thinking, but that is what I am attempting to do. It is my goal to bring our world even one step closer to the ideal whereby, through equal cooperation between those who provide aid and those who receive it, we can harness the will and power of those struggling with our world’s difficulties, creating a society in which they can open their own paths to the future.

Yohei Sasakawa
Chairman