Highlights of the Summary by the Chair of TICAD III
1. General Overview
- Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the TICAD process, the Third Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD III), one of the most important frameworks dedicated to African development, was convened from 29 September to 1 October 2003, with participation of delegates from 89 countries, including 50 African countries (including 23 Heads of State or Government) and 47 regional and international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
- Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan announced Japan's basic policy for assistance to Africa, based on the three pillars of "human-centred development," "poverty reduction through economic development," and "consolidation of peace." Further, a message of the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was delivered, and the co-organizers of TICAD presented opening remarks.
- H.E. Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique and Chair of the African Union, commended the contributions of the TICAD process, proposing the establishment of a follow-up mechanism to TICAD III.
- Heads of State of NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa's Development) Steering Committee member countries presented possible frameworks for cooperation through the TICAD process to NEPAD. Other speeches of African Heads of State and Government emphasized the importance of sustainable economic growth for poverty reduction and expressed their expectations for TICAD.
- TICAD III was successful in bringing together international support for African development, NEPAD in particular, and expanding partnership within the international community. In addition, at TICAD III priority challenges were specified in the various development areas, and a new initiative toward future African development was adopted.
- The Conference adopted "The TICAD Tenth Anniversary Declaration," which confirms approaches to development including consolidation of peace and human security. It was decided that the TICAD process would continue in a more institutionalized manner, and its outcomes would be regularly followed up.
2. Development Agenda
In the various development areas, the following items were confirmed as being of particular importance, and a call was made concerning the necessity for intensified African efforts and international community assistance in these areas.
(1) Consolidation of Peace
- Capacity building of regional organizations and African countries for peace support operations, conflict prevention, the identification and removal of the causes of conflict, etc.
- In activities for the consolidation of peace (e.g. DDR and support for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)) maintain a comprehensive approach emphasizing concepts such as reviving communities, ensuring human security, etc.
(2) Capacity Building
- Broader international support for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
- Institution building and capacity building of administrative and legislative branches of government for improving governance.
- Increase budget allocations to universal primary education in African countries, as well as continued support of the international community for enhanced educational infrastructure and quality.
(3) Human-Centred Development
- Support a variety of approaches to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio, in particular Primary Health Care, the development of a regional health system, and health education.
- Cooperation for water resource management by emphasizing community-level ownership and responsibility, and at major river basins, etc.
(4) Infrastructure
- Provide adequate financial resources and prioritization in implementation. Support NEPAD and the African Development Bank in the implementation of the NEPAD infrastructure projects.
- Prioritize regional and sub-regional projects and Public and Private Partnerships (PPP) in addition to the utilization of information and communications technology (ICT), etc.
(5) Agricultural Development
- Technical assistance to raise productivity facilitating the development and dissemination of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA).
- Implement support measures for assuring access to finance, land, technology and institutions, minimizing fluctuations in agricultural production, and combating desertification.
(6) Private Sector Development
- Improve governance in the economic milieu, including domestic market institutions.
- Nurture the production sector, promote technical transfer and nurture small and medium enterprises to develop a national industrial basis, in which foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a significant role.
- Welcome the World Bank's report on trade between Africa and Asia, etc.
(7) Expansion of Partnerships
- Share lessons from the know-how and experiences that enabled Asian countries to achieve remarkable economic progress.
- Establish cooperative networks between African and Asian countries in agriculture, capacity building, technological transfer, and trade and investment.
- Place importance on capacity building to support regional integration process through regional organizations, etc.
(8) Dialogue with Civil Society
- Diverse civil society is crucial to functioning democracy.
- Acknowledge complementary relations between endeavors of state and public organs and those of civil society.
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