Yokohama, Japan, 26 May 2008: More than 40 African heads of State will gather in Yokohama,Japan for the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) on May 28 to 30, hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.
The summit-level event is this year’s largest international conference on African development. The conference comes at a time when Africa’s average economic growth rate has reached 6 percent, peace-building and democratization are taking hold, and countries are tackling climate change and environmental concerns. The theme of TICAD IV is: “Towards a vibrant Africa: A continent of hope and opportunity.” The conference will focus on three priorities: 1) boosting economic growth; 2) ensuring Human Security, including the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and consolidation of peace and democratization; and 3) addressing environmental issues and climate change. These themes will be discussed both in the plenary and in breakout sessions. “The time has come for TICAD to make a significant leap forward,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura. “TICAD IV will hammer out a mechanism to help us keep focused on mid and long-term issues five or ten years into the future.” TICAD IV is scheduled to conclude with the adoption of the “Yokohama Declaration”, outlining guiding principles and approaches to African development among TICAD stakeholders, as well as the “Yokohama Action Plan and the Yokohama Follow-up Mechanism”, laying out a road map for action-oriented initiatives with measurable targets. The co-organizers are the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank. The United Nations will be represented by Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, UNDP by Administrator Kemal Derviş, and the World Bank by its President, Robert B. Zoellick. Also participating will be high-level representatives from countries in Asia and other regions, as well as heads of international agencies and international non-governmental organizations. Looking to the future On the first priority, the conference will discuss ways to make Africa’s robust economic growth selfsustaining and inclusive, so that the poor communities share benefits. Focus areas include expanding trade and investment, infrastructure development, and increasing agricultural productivity. To advance the second priority, the conference will discuss ways to strengthen “Human Security”, a key concept of Japan’s foreign policy, to enable people to live in dignity, with freedom from fear and want, by protecting and empowering individuals and communities. This includes accelerating efforts to achieve the MDGs by 2015, and consolidation of peace and democratic governance.
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