Event Details
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Japan Time) / 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (East Africa Time)
Location: JICA Kansai Center, 2nd Floor Auditorium (with Zoom livestream)
Across Africa, structural inequalities continue to determine who can participate in governance and peacebuilding processes and, above all, who has influence over decision-making. While women play a vital role in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, promoting community participation, and fostering social cohesion, their participation in formal political and decision-making processes—including peace negotiations, transitional governance, and political leadership—remains limited. Even now, more than 25 years after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which established the “Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)” agenda, a persistent gap remains between political commitment and its implementation.
At the same time, signs of significant change are emerging in Africa. A new generation of women leaders is beginning to take on roles in public spheres such as parliament, local government, peace mediation, and civil society, and African-led institutions are investing in leadership development, paving the way for women to play a greater role in political decision-making. This issue is also important for Japan. In Japan as well, the proportion of women in political leadership and other senior decision-making positions remains low, and there is room for Africa and Japan to learn from each other’s experiences.
At TICAD 9, held in Yokohama in August 2025, the Yokohama Declaration reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, and better governance in Africa, while also highlighting the “Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)” and “Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS)” agendas. Furthermore, the UNDP is supporting women’s political leadership in Africa through the newly established “African Women’s Political Leadership Academy,” in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), and the African School of Governance (ASG). Furthermore, JICA is promoting WPS through initiatives such as fostering female leaders in Africa, supporting women’s livelihood improvement, promoting women’s participation in communities, and preventing gender-based violence (GBV) while ensuring the protection and safety of GBV survivors—including by training 500 personnel in the medical and administrative sectors.
Against this backdrop, the 4th AFRI CONVERSE 2026 will from both African and Japanese perspectives, we will discuss measures to help women progress from “participation” to “leadership” in governance and peacebuilding, while also exploring practical approaches to strengthen women’s leadership and build more inclusive, effective, and sustainable governance and peacebuilding processes.
Event Overview
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. (Japan Time) / 12:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m. (East Africa Time)
Co-organizers: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Event Format: Hybrid
In-person venue: JICA Kansai Center, 2nd Floor Auditorium
Address: 1-5-2 Waki-hama Kaigan-dori, Chuo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture 651-0073
Map: https://www.jica.go.jp/domestic/kansai/office/access.html
Online Streaming: Zoom
*We will send the Zoom link to those who wish to participate online by the day before the event.
*We will send the Zoom link to those who wish to participate online by the day before the event. Participation fee: Free
Languages: Japanese, English, French (simultaneous interpretation available)
Registration
Click here to register for in-person attendance
Click here to register online
Program
6:30 p.m. – 6:35 p.m. Opening Remarks
6:35 p.m. – 7:55 p.m. Panel Discussion and Q&A
7:55 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
Speakers (titles omitted)
Misako Takahashi, Director-General for African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Aisata, Acting Director of the UNDP Africa Bureau
Makiko Kubota, JICA International Cooperation Specialist (Gender and Development)
Tomohiro Hosoi, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of International Public Policy, Osaka University
Marie-Claire Mukasine, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Rwanda to Japan
Minako Shiozuka, Deputy Director, JICA Africa Division
Moderator:
Kana Hoshino, UNDP Student Ambassador (Kwansei Gakuin University)
What Is Africonverse?
An interactive seminar series related to the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), launched by the UNDP in 2018. Since 2020, it has been co-hosted by the UNDP and JICA and is held quarterly with the aim of sharing information on challenges in African development and the initiatives undertaken by Japan and the co-hosting organizations to address them with a broad audience in Japan and Africa.
In 2025, in conjunction with TICAD 9 held in Yokohama, we organized sessions on a variety of themes at venues including Hiroshima University, the Osaka-Kansai EXPO, TICAD 9, and the United Nations University. In this final session of the series, to be held in 2026, we will focus on the theme of women’s leadership in governance and peacebuilding. While sharing the insights and experiences of both Japan and Africa, we will deepen our discussion on measures to help women progress from “participation” to “leadership,” as well as the potential for collaboration between Japan and Africa.
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