La Francophonie
Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAF : La Francophonie
| The Francophonie flag, symbolising the five continents, was adopted in 1987 on Niger's suggestion | |
| Official languages | French |
| Executive Secretariat | Abdou Diouf (since 2002) |
| Established | 1970. |
| Member states | 49 (plus 4 associate members and 10 observers) |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Official site | [Official site of La Francophonie] (in French) |
In addition to referring to the international organisation, La Francophonie may also be used to reference the worldwide community of those people whose native language or second language is French (i.e., the French Sprachraum).
Several of the member states have a poor record when it comes to the protection of human rights and the practice of democracy. A proposed measure to impose sanctions on such countries was debated at least twice but was not approved. This is not surprising as the purpose of the organisation is not to promote international cooperation or human rights.
The modern Francophonie was created in 1970. Its motto is égalité, complémentarité, solidarité (equality, complementarity, and solidarity), harking of France's motto. Started as a small club of Northern French-speaking countries, it has since evolved into an important international organisation whose numerous branches cooperate with the organisation's member states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace.
Structure
L'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie has an observer status at the UN General Assembly.Summits
Summits of the Francophonie are held every two years, at which time the leaders of the member states have an opportunity to meet and develop strategies and goals for the organisation.Past Summits:
- Paris, France (1986)
- Quebec City, Canada (1987)
- Dakar, Senegal (1989)
- Paris, France (1991)
- Mauritius (1993)
- Cotonou, Benin (1995)
- Hanoi, Vietnam (1997)
- Moncton, Canada (1999)
- Beirut, Lebanon (2002)
- Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2004)
Ministerial conferences
Permanent council
The Permanent Council of the Francophonie consists of Ambassadors of the member countries, and, like the ministers conferences, its main task is to plan future summits and also to supervise the implementation of summit decisions on a day-to-day basis.Intergovernmental agency
The Intergovernmental Agency of the Francophonie is the main operator of the cultural, scientific, technical, economic and legal cooperation programs decided at the Summits. The Agency's headquarters are in Paris and it has three regional branches in Libreville, Gabon; Lomé, Togo; and Hanoi, Vietnam.Members
Europe
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- *
- *
- *
- *
North and South America
- *
New Brunswick (participating government)
Africa
Asia
Oceania
Associate Members
Additional States
See also
- Francophone
- French colonial empire
- Agence de coopération culturelle et technique
- Minister responsible for La Francophonie (Canada)
- Jeux de la Francophonie
- Community of Portuguese Language Countries
- the Latin Union
- Commonwealth of Nations
- French in the United States
- Franco-Canadian relations - La Francophonie meetings generated ill feeling between Canada and France.
External links
- [La Francophonie Website] (in French)
- [Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie] (in French)
- [Flags of French America (Canada, Québec, Louisiana, Haiti...) in the website of Association Frontenac-Amériques]
- [News from Francophonie] (in French)
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