For information only - not an official document
UNIS/OUS/193
3 June 2013
YOKOHAMA, Japan, 3 June 2013 - The City of Yokohama and the Unted Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have confirmed a common vision towards cooperation and agreed to partner to contribute to sustainable growth in developing countries.
Meeting today, the final day of the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), hosted by Yokohama, Kandeh K. Yumkella, the Director General of UNIDO, and Fumiko Hayashi, Mayor of the City of Yokohama, concurred to enhance mutual cooperation and assist in promoting the exchange of knowledge, experiences and expertise, in order to achieve sustainable development of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
The agreement will also foster collaboration between UNIDO and Yokohama-based industries, as well as small and medium companies to promote investment and technology transfer activities in coordination between UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) in Tokyo and the City of Yokohama.
"Yokohama has made excellent progress in combining economic growth and development with environmental sustainability. I am not surprised that the Japanese Government selected Yokohama as an environmental model city for its efforts in the transition to a low-carbon society through steep decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, and the city is showing the way forward in this field to the international community. Yokohama is also home to many enterprises, universities, and other organizations that are in possession of the most advanced environmental and other technology," said Yumkella.
He added that UNIDO's ITPO in Tokyo was already organizing technology promoting activities in collaboration with Yokohama, including a workshop on "Smart City Technologies and Solutions".
In May, UNIDO signed an agreement to extend cooperation with another Japanese city, Kitakyushu, considered to be one of the greenest industrial cities in the world. Together they will further promote the eco-town concept in developing countries.
The eco-town concept is based on a zero-emissions approach and seeks to utilize - to the greatest extent possible - the waste generated by domestic and industrial activities as the raw material for other industries.
For more information, please contact
Mikhail
Evstafyev
Head, Advocacy and External Relations
Tel: +43-1-26026-5021
Mobile: +43-699-1459-7329
m.evstafyev@unido.org
