Japan will host an international conference as early as this year to promote consolidation of peace in Africa, government officials said Saturday.
The meeting, which will gather Cabinet members and high-ranking officials from African and Asian nations for the first time, will be part of the framework of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
The framework, also known as TICAD, is jointly supported by the Japanese government, the U.N., the Global Coalition for Africa and the World Bank, in a bid to promote development in Africa.
According to the officials, the date and venue will be decided soon by TICAD's steering committee, with prospects high that the meeting will be held in a major African city or New York.
Participants are expected to hold extensive discussions in creating a conflict-free society mainly through refugee aid and weapons recovery, and policies leading to sustainable development in postconflict areas.
They are expected to probe the strategy on the use of ODA and effective management measures for U.N. peacekeeping operations.
The Japanese government earlier announced it would double its official development assistance to Africa in the coming three years.
According to the officials, some of the envisioned concrete steps to aid Africa in its transition to a democratic framework are mine countermeasures and recovery of land mines, disarmament of former soldiers and social reintegration, assistance to refugees and internally displaced people, and assistance for elections.