On Thursday, August 21, Mayor of Yokohama, Japan, Takeharu Yamanaka held talks with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who was visiting Yokohama to attend the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).

Mayor Yamanaka expressed his respect for the UN Secretary-General’s leadership in realizing a sustainable society and conveyed Yokohama City’s determination to further cooperate with UN activities and contribute to the international community. He also referenced the “Pact for the Future,” adopted by the United Nations last September, and emphasized the importance of incorporating the voices of local governments in building global governance around artificial intelligence (AI) and data.

In addition, he expressed Yokohama City’s intention to strengthen collaboration with the UN in areas such as environmental initiatives and nurturing the next generation. He also stated that, in coordination with the Japanese government, Yokohama would support the relocation of UN functions.

Following the meeting, Mayor Yamanaka commented:

“It has been a great honor to welcome United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to Yokohama today.
“During our meeting, I expressed my heartfelt respect for the Secretary-General’s strong leadership and conveyed Yokohama City’s determination to further cooperate with UN activities and contribute to the international community.
“Local governments, in their role of supporting citizens’ daily lives, benefit from the advancement of AI and big data utilization, but are also directly exposed to threats from misinformation and disinformation. Therefore, I emphasized the need for global-level rulemaking and requested that the voices of local governments be considered and reflected in the transformation of global governance.
“The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Yokohama’s diverse initiatives and highlighted the importance of evolving toward inclusive engagement, including with local governments.
“I also introduced the upcoming “GREEN × EXPO 2027,” to be held in Yokohama under the theme of symbiosis with the environment, and called for collaboration toward a sustainable society.
“Additionally, I conveyed Yokohama City’s intention to support the relocation of UN functions, in coordination with the Japanese government.“

Background

TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development)
TICAD is an international summit on African development, co-hosted by the Government of Japan, the United Nations, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the African Union Commission. Since 1993, there have been eight TICAD conferences held, alternating between being held in Japan and African countries. TICAD9 is being hosted in Yokohama from August 20–22, 2025. Yokohama has also hosted TICAD4 (2008), TICAD5 (2013), and TICAD7 (2019), the most recent of which welcomed more than 10,000 participants, including leaders from 42 African nations.

Pact for the Future
The Pact for the Future is the outcome document adopted at the United Nations Summit of the Future in September 2024. It is considered one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging international agreements in recent years involving high-level discussions among world leaders.
The pact addresses a broad spectrum of global issues, including: Sustainable development and financing for development; International peace and security; Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; Youth and future generations; and transforming global governance.

International Organizations Active in Yokohama (Located in the Yokohama International Organization Center)

• International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) – Established its global headquarters in Yokohama in 1986 (location: Industry and Trade Center). Relocated to the Yokohama International Cooperation Center in 1991.
• World Food Programme (WFP) – Opened its Japan office in 1996.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – Opened its Japan office in 1997.
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – Opened its Japan office in 2021.