Over the last few years, the Japanese government and the Commonwealth Secretariat have explored potential ways in which they can work together in the future. Copyright: Creative commons, flickr - rocketlass.
Future collaboration explored between Commonwealth and Japan
21 May 2010
Japan’s development work in Africa was the focus of a recent conference attended by senior Commonwealth Secretariat officials
The Government of Japan recently invited the Commonwealth Secretariat to attend the 2nd Ministerial follow-up meeting for the Tokyo International Conference for Africa’s Development, which took place in Arusha, Tanzania, from 2 to 3 May 2010.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss progress made in implementing the Yokohoma Action Plan for Africa, a roadmap for Africa’s growth and development.
The invitation signals moves from the Japanese government and the Secretariat to explore potential ways in which they can work together in the future.
Working with non-Commonwealth countries
The Secretariat regularly works with non-Commonwealth countries and territories such as Finland and France, as well as other regional or international organisations like the Africa Union and European Union.
This initiative began with a meeting held in June 2007 between the then Japanese Ambassador to the UK, and Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma. Several subsequent meetings have been held between senior representatives of the Japanese Embassy and Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith.
During the recent conference in Tanzania, Japan pledged to give Official Development Assistance loans of up to US$2 billion to Africa over the next two years, to help the continent cope with the global economic crisis. It also pledged to step up its assistance related to the Millennium Development Goals by contributing around $240 million to the Global Fund for combating Malaria in Africa.
The meeting was attended by more than 30 African governments, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Union Commission and a host of Partner Countries and International Organizations. The Secretariat was represented by Mr Smith and Dunstan Maina, Governance and Institutional Development Division’s Adviser for East Africa.
“The Commonwealth Secretariat, in serving its members, is committed to building strategic partnerships as a continuous part of our work, and I welcome these preliminary efforts to explore possibilities for future collaboration with the Japanese Government,” said Mr Smith.
The two-day conference was co-chaired by Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tanzania’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and was officially opened by Tanzania’s President, Jakaya Kikwete.
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