International Cooperation

The City of Yokohama has been developing international cooperation activities in the following order of priority: firstly, cooperation with its sister cities; secondly, contributing to the resolution of urban problems in the Asian-Pacific region as the President of CITYNET; and thirdly, supporting those international organizations which tackle the global issues such as environmental problems, population and food.
Yokohama conducts city-to-city cooperation mainly with CITYNET member cities in developing countries by sending and receiving technical staff in such fields as urban planning, waterworks, environmental conservation, waste management, medicine and health.

International Organizations in Yokohama

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
* Head Office established in November 1986
* An international commodity organization established by the International Tropical Timber Agreement.

L'institut franco-japonais a Yokohama
* Established in 1990
* An official agency of the French government that holds various cultural events, fosters French-Japan cultural exchange and offers French language education to the citizens of Yokohama.

Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies
* Relocated to Yokohama in July 1991
* The Center conducts intensive Japanese language education of intermediate and advance level for undergraduate and graduate students to broaden their understanding toward Japan and to encourage their active participation in the international society.

The Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements (CITYNET)
* Secretariat established in February 1992
* CITYNET, a non-profit international organization consisting of 23 countries/regions and 119 members (77 cities, 42 organizations etc., as of 11 September 2009), is a network promoting local urban improvement intiatives in the Asian-Pacific region.
* The City of Yokohama is the President of CITYNET and hosts the Secretariat.

World Food Programme (WFP)
* Japan Office established in October 1996
* U.N. organization for promoting economic and social development through food assistance and emergency aid.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
* Japan Office established in October 1997
* U.N. specialized agency promoting the development of the global economy and alleviation of hunger through agriculture developement and pursuit of food security.

United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS)
* Relocated to Yokohama in April 2004
* The United Nations University (UNU) is an organ of the United Nations that devotes its work to research into the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare. The UNU forms an international community of scholars and serves as a think-tank for the UN system. UNU-IAS is one of the Research and Training Centres of the UNU.