Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs TAKAGI Kei by Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme
August 25, 2023
On August 25, Mr. TAKAGI Kei, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Takagi stated that Japan has attached a high value to its partnership with UNDP and would like to deepen various cooperation on Africa further, including the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). He also stated that Japan wishes to strengthen cooperation between Japan and Africa as “partners growing together", in cooperation with UNDP. In response, Director Eziakonwa stated that the people-oriented approach and Japan's genuine desire for Africa to develop with dignity are core values of TICAD and that UNDP shares these values, and that UNDP will also cooperate to evolve the TICAD process..
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister Takagi expressed his gratitude to Director Eziakonwa for UNDP’s long-standing contributions as one of the co-organizers in the TICAD process, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. He also stated that Japan wishes to continue to work closely with UNDP in the follow-up to Japan’s commitment made at last year's TICAD 8 as well as in future TICAD process. In response, Director Eziakonwa expressed her appreciation for Japan's support to UNDP as a whole, and said that UNDP has also been working on development efforts in crisis situations, particularly in recent years, including cross-border and regional stabilization programs and countering violent extremism, and that UNDP hopes to continue to be a reliable partner for Japan in the years to come.
- Finally, both sides affirmed their commitment to continuing close coordination for promoting TICAD process and to reinforcing the cooperation between Japan and UNDP.
