The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF; French for "International Organisation of the Francophonie"; sometimes shortened to La Francophonie, , sometimes also called International Organisation of in English) is an international organization representing states and governments with a notable affiliation with French language and culture.

The organization comprises 93 member states and governments; of these, 56 states and governments are full members, 5 are associate members and 32 are observers. The term (with a lowercase "f"), or francosphere (often capitalized in English), also refers to the global community of French-speaking peoples,FRANCOPHONIE 18 March 2006. . Radio France International. constitutes a network of private and public organizations promoting equal ties among countries where the French language or culture plays a significant historical role, culturally, militarily, or politically.

The organization was created in 1970. Most of its founding members and current full members were part of the French colonial empire. Its headquarters is located on Avenue Bosquet in Paris, France. Its motto is , , ("equality, complementarity, and solidarity"),Brochure: L'Institut de l'énergie et de l'environnement de la Francophonie. . (IEPF ). Accessed 22 January 2009. a deliberate allusion to France's motto . Starting as a small group of French-speaking countries, the Francophonie has since evolved into a global organization whose numerous branches cooperate with its member states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace. Its mission is to promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, promote peace, democracy, and human rights, and support education, research, and cooperative development. It is an observer of the United Nations (UN).

History The convention which created the Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation (Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique) was signed in Niamey, Niger, on 20 March 1970 by the representatives of the 21 states and governments under the influence of African Heads of State, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, Hamani Diori of Niger and Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. Canadian Jean-Louis Roy was the first, and only, secretary-general of the organization from 1989 until 1997.

Given the French language's role, the missions of this new intergovernmental organization are to promote the cultures of its members, intensify cultural and technical cooperation among them, and foster solidarity and connection through dialogue.

The Francophonie project has evolved continuously since the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation; it became the intergovernmental Agency of the Francophonie (Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie) in 1997 to underscore its intergovernmental status. Finally, in 2005, the adoption of a new Charter of the Francophonie (la Charte de la Francophonie) gave the name to the Agency of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie).L'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie sur le site de La Documentation française

Structure

Executive Secretariat (Secretaries-General) The position of Secretary-General was created in 1997 at the seventh leaders' summit held in Hanoi. Canadian Jean-Louis Roy was secretary of the Agence de coopération culturelle et technique from 1989 until the formal creation of the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie in 1997 with former Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali as the first secretary-general of La Francophonie. Abdou Diouf, the former president of the Republic of Senegal, became Secretary General on 1 January 2003. He was re-elected on 29 September 2006 for a second mandate during the Summit of the Francophonie in Bucharest, and elected again in 2010 at the Summit of the Francophonie in Montreux for another mandate, which ran until 31 December 2014. At the 2014 summit in Dakar, former Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean was chosen to lead the organization starting in January 2015.

The Secretary General of the Francophonie is elected at the Summit and serves as the spokesperson and the official international representative of the Francophonie's political actions. The Secretary General is responsible for proposing priority areas for multilateral Francophonie actions. Their job is to facilitate Francophone multilateral cooperation and to ensure that programs and activities of all operating agencies work in harmony. The Secretary General carries out their four-year mandate under the authority of the three leading institutions of the Francophonie: the Summits, the Ministerial Conference and the Permanent Council.Structure and institutions of La Francophonie. Accessed 5 May 2011

ImageNameCountry Birth Death Start End Notes 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali 14 November 1922 16 November 1997 31 December 2002Secretary-General of the United Nations (1992–1996), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt (1977, 1978–1979), Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Egypt (1977–1991) 2 Abdou Diouf Living 1 January 2003 31 December 2014President of Senegal (1981–2000), Prime Minister of Senegal (1970–1980) 3 Michaëlle Jean Living 5 January 2015 2 January 2019Governor General of Canada (2005–2010) 4 Louise Mushikiwabo Living 3 January 2019 incumbentMinister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Rwanda (2009–2018)

Summits

The Summit, the highest authority in the Francophonie, is held every two years and gathers the heads of states and governments of all member states of the OIF around certain themes of discussion. It is chaired by the head of state or government of the host country and this person assumes that responsibility until the next summit. By enabling heads of state and government to engage in dialogue on all international issues of the day, the summit helps develop the Francophonie's strategies and goals to ensure the organization's influence on the world stage.La Francophonie: History, Structure, Organisation, and Philosophical Underpinnings . Accessed on 5 May 2011