The Global Coalition for Africa (GCA) is a co-organizer of TICAD, together with the Government of Japan, the UN, UNDP and the World Bank. At TICAD III, the latest Plenary, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, September 29 - October 1, 2003, GCA Co-Chairpersons as well as the Executive Secretary of the GCA provided key leadership roles in several of the plenary as well as break-out sessions. The GCA Secretariat also undertook its own review (as well as supervising an external review) of the performance of TICAD, which formed part of the background documentation for the conference.

Currently, preparations are underway to convene a TICAD Trade and Investment Conference in Tokyo, November 1-2, 2004.

In 1993 the Government of Japan, the GCA, and the United Nations co-organized the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). The Tokyo Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the conference, emphasized the need for African countries to take the lead role in defining and implementing their own development strategies while Africas development partners were expected to give effective support.

Follow up activities have been taking place, and many of these activities have contributed to the further strengthening of Asia-Africa cooperation. A second conference, TICAD II, was held in Tokyo on October 19-21, 1998. The GCA was again a co-organizer of TICAD II with the Government of Japan and the United Nations. The participants at TICAD II were African countries, and Africas bilateral and multilateral development partners. Appropriate participation and input from African and non-African NGOs was arranged. The meeting reviewed Africa's progress in economic and social development, and made recommendations for continued cooperation between Africa and its development partners.

A Preparatory Conference was held in Tokyo in November 1997, at which, among other things, agreement was reached on the main themes of the Agenda for Action of TICAD II, as well as on the establishment of a 24-member Preparatory Committee to draft the Agenda for Action.

A participatory process involving the Preparatory Committee as well as representatives of numerous sectors of the society coming from African countries shaped the Agenda for Action. The Preparatory Committee met in Dakar, March 1998, in Harare, June 1998, and in Addis Ababa, September 7-8, 1998. In addition, Regional workshops, attended by representatives of government, private sector and NGOs, were held in Ouagadougou, May 1998, in Windhoek, June 1998, in Tunis, July 1998, and in Mauritius, August 1998.

The October 1998 Plenary discussed the following themes:

a) Social Development (Education, Population, Health, Poverty Alleviation);
b) Economic Development (Private Sector Development, Industrial Development, Agriculture Development, External Debt);
c) Foundations for Development (Governance, Conflict Prevention, Post Conflict Development).

The TICAD Conferences

TICAD II, October 19-21, 1998:

The Tokyo Agenda for Action
Statement by Sir Ketumile Masire on behalf of the GCA
Statement by Dr. Frene Ginwala on behalf of the GCA

The Asia-Africa Forums

The Asia-Africa Forum III and The Kuala Lumpur New Millennium Statement, May 23-25, 2000

Annex

TICAD Ministerial Meeting, December 3-4, 2001