The Third TICAD Ministerial Follow-Up Meeting: Japan announces its determination to implement its commitment to assist Africa, overcoming the Earthquake Disaster

May 2, 2011

On May 1-2, the Third TICAD Ministerial Follow-up Meeting took place in Dakar, Republic of Senegal and was attended by some 500 participants from 68 countries around the world (including 47 in Africa), 42 international and regional organizations, NGOs and the private sector. Japan was represented by Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chiaki Takahashi, who co-chaired the meeting with H.E. Mr. Madické Niang, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Senegal, the host country.

Statements from Japan:

At the meeting, Japan made the following statements among others:

1. 1) The Great East Japan Earthquake
   Japan expressed its appreciation for the support and solidarity rendered by African countries and the international community as a whole after the Great East Japan Earthquake. To share with Africa its experiences and lessons learned in tackling this disaster, Japan made a proposal to convene a seminar in Japan during the course of this year, on the theme of "Creating Resilient Economies and Societies" to withstand natural disasters.
2. 2) TICAD IV Follow-Up
   The meeting confirmed that the Yokohama Action Plan, issued at TICAD IV in 2008, has been steadily implemented. Japan stated that it would maintain its intention to continue taking an active role in enhancing peace and stability in the international community, and expressed its unwavering determination to faithfully implement the TICAD IV pledges, overcoming the recent earthquake disaster.
3. 3) Political Issues in Africa
   Japan stated its position on the recent situations in Sudan, Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire, and North African countries. Japan then announced that through the TICAD process it would continue to tackle various challenges such as poverty, unemployment, security and governance problems that are seen as underlying factors in these situations.
4. 4) Climate Change
   Japan called for close cooperation with African countries towards COP17, to be held in South Africa, later this year. It also proposed to formulate, together with the African countries, a "Low-Carbon Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy in Africa", which will provide a medium- and long-term vision to address climate change issues in Africa.

Evaluation:

The participating countries at the meeting extended their renewed support and solidarity for Japan as it works towards recovery and reconstruction from the disaster. They also highly appreciated Japan’s expression of determination to continue faithful implementation of its comprehensive pledges made at TICAD IV. In addition, the participating countries welcomed Japan's proposal to convene a disaster risk management seminar.
Furthermore, the participating countries highly commended the assistance that Japan has been extending to Africa in the area of climate change. These countries positively evaluated Japan's proposal to formulate, together with African countries, a medium- and long-term strategy aimed at promoting sustainable and low-carbon growth in Africa.

The Communiqué (English, French) issued at the end of the meeting as the outcome document reflects the perspectives of both the African countries and their development partners and carries an important message for major international meetings such as the G8, G20, the MDGs Follow-Up Meeting and COP17, slated for this year.