Francophonie Ministerial Conference Concludes, Results to Be Reported at the Summit

详细摘要

The Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, which convened at 9:00 a.m. on Nov. 14, concluded in late afternoon as delegates prepared ...

PHNOM PENH – The Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, which convened at 9:00 a.m. on Nov. 14, concluded in late afternoon as delegates prepared documents to be submitted to the nations’ leaders during the summit.

The delegates reviewed the previous work of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and related documents intended for the heads of states and governments set to meet during the 20th Francophonie Summit taking place on Nov. 15 and 16 in Phnom Penh.

Many decisions were made on Nov. 14 in the course of discussions. One of them consisted of finalizing major draft documents, including the Phnom Penh Declaration, the crisis resolution, and the Phnom Penh Appeal for the protection of heritage and cultural diversity.

Another decision was about setting the date and the venue of the next session of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie. The delegates chose Benin, a West African country, according to Oria K. Vande Weghe, communication director for OIF.

According to her, the summit taking place in Cambodia represents a major return to Asia after a long absence, lending a special, symbolic dimension to the Francophonie, given that Cambodia is the home country of one of the organization’s founders, the late King Norodom Sihanouk. This carries a particular resonance, she added.

The delegates at the meeting did not address the election of a new secretary-general, leaving the decision to the leaders at the summit on Nov. 16.

Four candidates are being considered: Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary-general since 2019 and former minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda; Coumba Ba, minister counselor and special envoy of the President of Mauritania to OIF; Dacian Cioloș, former prime minister of Romania and presidential adviser to Romania's president; and Juliana Amato Lumumba, former minister of Culture of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 20th Francophonie Summit officially opens on Sunday, Nov. 15.

According to Cambodia’s…

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