Djibouti, Republic of DjiboutI, 18 March 2016: A TICAD V Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting was held in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti, on 14-15 March 2016, in order to advance preparation for TICAD VI, which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 27 to 28 August 2016. The Meeting was attended by more than 300 participants from 115 countries and international organizations, including 44 delegations from African countries, representatives of partner countries, international, regional and sub-regional organizations, African and Japanese civil society as well as NGOs. Ambassador Norio Maruyama, Prime Minister’s Personal Representative and Director General for Africa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti opened the meeting. TICAD co-organizers, namely the Government of Japan, the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, co-chaired sessions.

The African Union Delegation was led by H.E. Mr. Ahmat Awad Sakine, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Chad, to the African Union and Chairperson of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC).

The Meeting welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the TICAD V Yokohama Action Plan 2013-2017 and discussed Africa’s development agenda to be addressed at the first ever TICAD Summit to be held in Africa.

With the Yokohama (TICAD V) declaration and its five-year Yokohama Action Plan remaining valid and under implementation until 2018, there was a wide consensus among participants that TICAD VI should reflect on new developments in Africa and in the international community since TICAD V, ensure synergy and complementarity with Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the COP 21 etc.,, and provide key perspectives to further advance Africa’s development agenda.

Against these backdrops, participants discussed such themes as economic diversification and industrialization, resilient health systems for quality of life, and social stability for shared prosperity. They actively contributed to the discussions, highlighting the roles of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), private sector from Africa and Japan including SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises), civil society organizations as well as women and youths, among other things.

Reconfirming the TICAD principle of African ownership and international partnership, Participants agreed to continue to work closely towards the TICAD VI Preparatory Meeting at Ministerial Level, (Banjul, The Gambia,1-2 June 2016) and the TICAD VI (Nairobi, Kenya, 27-28 August 2016).