Tokyo, 8 February - The Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Mr. Hirokazu Matsuno has announced today the 8^th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) will be held on 27 and 28 August. Maintaining the conference despite the current COVID-19 pandemic and the recent apparition of new variants on the African continent, the government of Japan and other co-organisers of the conference are sending a strong message of solidarity at a critical time for the African continent.

Mr. Matsuno stated that TICAD8 would strongly support African-led development and aim at setting out a pathway for African development looking ahead to the post-COVID-19 era, as the pandemic has had given a considerable socio-economic impact also on Africa.

The conference comes at a time when Africa is experiencing a recession after nearly three decades of relatively consistent development gains. This unprecedented health emergency has tested multilateralism, international cooperation and the global community’s resolve to find global solutions to complex challenges. 

Through the Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD) framework, UNDP continued to work with the Government of Japan to assist African countries address the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, promote peace and stability - including peacekeeping operational support-, and enhance resilience of communities to materialize the concept of Human Security.

The Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD) was launched in 1993 by the Government of Japan, to promote Africa’s development, peace and security, through the strengthening of relations in multilateral cooperation and partnership. It is led by the government of Japan and co-hosted by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission (AUC), the World Bank and the Government of Japan. TICAD is an inclusive multilateral platform, which provides a forum to explore innovative, sustainable, and equitable development pathways across Africa.

One of TICAD’s primary aims is to facilitate global partnerships between the public and private sector. As a co-organizer, the UNDP has supported TICAD as thought leaders, in providing expertise on both conceptual and regional matters. Additionally, the UNDP has helped facilitate coordination and partnerships, advocacy for sustainable development, and drawn upon its vast network in Africa in order to provide logistical and operational support. TICAD7 was held in 2019 in Yokohama city, Japan and attended by more than 10,000 participants.

For more information and interview requests, please contact:

Eve Sabbagh, Strategic Communications Specialist, UNDP New York, eve.sabbagh@undp.org, +1-484-904-5730

Chika Kondoh, TICAD Partnership Specialist, UNDP Tokyo chika.kondoh@undp.org +81 3  5467 4751