As the 21^st century was dawning, many African people saw their political systems opening up dramatically, and better economic management beginning to bear fruit. But enormous challenges remained, not least the unconscionable 46% of sub-Saharan Africans still living on less than a dollar a day.

Institutional weakness, poor governance and political instability still represented major obstacles to development. In addition, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS was affecting not only people's health, but also the very fabric of society and economic productivity. Africa also faced exclusion from the overall process of globalization, and from many benefits of new information and communications technology (ICT).

In response, several African countries took their own bold initiatives in charting regional and sub-regional priorities for the new century. At the Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001, these initiatives were integrated into one vision for Africa's future — later launched as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The establishment of the African Union (AU) in July 2002 was an important milestone in furthering Africa's own vision for the continent, and NEPAD became a mandated initiative of the AU.

In October 2002, the UN General Assembly endorsed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation that NEPAD should be the framework for the international community's support for African development.

TICAD fully embraces NEPAD and presents a unique forum for high-level dialogue and consensus-building in order to give strong support to this African-led effort.

TICAD III is committed to creating full synergy between TICAD's work and NEPAD's own approaches.