Press Releases

1. This year marks 70 years since Japan began its Official Development Assistance (ODA). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have co-hosted various events and symposiums throughout the year, commemorating the anniversary, starting from the Kick-off event in Kobe in March, to raise the awareness on the international cooperation. This symposium will serve as a finale of the commemoration.
2. The theme of this symposium is “Co-Creation, Solidarity, and the Future – Toward a Free and Open International Order and a New Era of Development Cooperation.”
   Mr. Takeshi Iwaya, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (TBC) and Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will give keynote speeches.
   Then the symposium will reflect on Japan’s seven decades of international cooperation while also presenting a vision for new approaches to development partnership under the updated Development Cooperation Charter. The event will bring together key figures from international organizations, national governments, and the private sector.
3. Panel Discussion 1
   
   Panelists:
   Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator for United Nations Development Programme
   Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation of the Arab Republic of Egypt
   Ms. Phonevanh Outhavong, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
   Dr. Hussain Niyaaz, Secretary, Economic and Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Maldives
   Mr. Jean Antoine Diouf, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Senegal to Japan
   Mr. Ahmed Chafra, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tunisia to Japan
   Mr. Kazuhiko Nakamura, Director-General for Global Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
   
   Moderator:
   Ms. Aiko Doden, Distinguished Senior Fellow, The Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies, Johns Hopkins University
4. Panel Discussion 2
   
   Theme: New Approaches to International Cooperation
   
   Panelists:
   Dr. Akihiko Tanaka, President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
   Mr. Masataka Uo, President & CEO, Japan Fundraising Association
   Dr. Tokutaro Hiramoto, Director, Center for SDGs Promotion, Kanazawa Institute of Technology; Professor, Department of Management Information
   Mr. Yosuke Mizukami, Executive Director, Ocean Solution Technology Co., Ltd.
   Ms. Yuika Oku, Chairperson, Teto Company NPO
   
   Moderator:
   Mr. Hideo Ishizuki, Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

For details and live-streaming, please visit the Symposium to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Japan’s ODA website (Japanese only).