The Secretary-General and H.E. Mr. Fumio Kishida, Foreign Minister of Japan, met today on the margins of the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V).

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister agreed that TICAD was an important initiative for promoting development.  The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation to Japan for hosting the Conference, as well as for Japan’s contributions to promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.

The Secretary-General welcomed Japan’s engagement on peace and security issues, and he thanked Japan for its leading role in many fields, including human security, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The Secretary-General underscored how Japan’s strong leadership and commitment was necessary for the success of the work of the United Nations. 

The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also exchanged views on the Arms Trade Treaty, Syria, the Korean Peninsula, Somalia and Mali, as well as sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda, United Nations reform and disaster risk reduction strategy.