Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, will undertake her first official visit to Japan where she will participate in the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VII) in Yokohama from 28 to 30 August. She will also hold bilateral meeting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to reinforce UNESCO's partnership with Japan.
The Director-General will take the floor at the plenary session of the conference, on ways to reinforce urban sustainability and resilience. The session will be attended by Heads of State and high-level officials from 53 African countries, representatives of regional and UN development and economic cooperation organizations, as well as the private sector and civil society.
UNESCO and TICADVII are also co-organizing two events at the conference: one on artificial Intelligence (29 August, 10 am) and another, to be opened by the Director-General, on the future of African cinema (29 August, 6.30 pm).
UNESCO is committed to promoting debate about, and awareness of, the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence as AI applications impact economies, technologies and practically every human institution, from healthcare and education to the judiciary. Japan is a strong supporter of UNESCO's work towards establishing a normative framework on AI.
UNESCO support for Africa's dynamic cinema industry is part of the Organization's commitment to promoting cultural industries and cultural diversity to empower social cohesion and human development.
TICAD VII, whose theme is Advancing Africa's Development Through People, Technology and Innovation, will focus on three main objectives:
Economic transformation and improvement in business environment and institutions through private investment and innovation,
Promotion of resilient and sustainable society for human security,
Peace and stability (support for Africa's proactive efforts).
During her visit to Japan, the Director-General will also hold bilateral meetings with senior Government officials to discuss UNESCO's cooperation with Japan, the second largest contributor to UNESCO's regular budget. Moreover, Japan provides funding for major initiatives such as Education on Sustainable Development, and the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development.
