Cambodia Seeks to Bridge Francophonie’s Past and Future at Summit

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Hosting the Francophonie Summit for the first time, Cambodia aims to make the gathering more than a platform for statements, seeking ...

PHNOM PENH – Hosting the Francophonie Summit for the first time, Cambodia aims to make the gathering more than a platform for statements, seeking concrete outcomes that reflect the organization’s past achievements and future ambitions.

Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said the kingdom, a full member and founding member of the Francophonie, wants to promote peace, stability and prosperity.

From November 14 to 16, the occasion is “an honor yet a high responsibility” for Cambodia, as the hosting role has passed from France, host of the 2024 term, to Cambodia for the next two years.

The main venues for the meetings have been arranged, and thematic decorations are being designed for protocols, security, content, hospitality and coordination. The capital is set to welcome 79 country delegations after two years of planning.

The Foreign Minister started the story with a meeting in 1969. At that time, late King Father Norodom Sihanouk was head of state and showed support at an international summit in Niamey, Niger. The summit gathered French-speaking countries to cooperate amid a world divided by the Cold War.

At first, it was linguistic and cultural cooperation. To strengthen cultural ties among francophone countries, they chose French. In 1970, the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, or Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique, was established.

The agency’s name was later changed to the International Organization of La Francophonie, or Organization internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), in 2005, with 53 member states. It now has 90 member states, including 53 full-member states, five associate states, and 32 observer states. They are from the five continents.

Years later, the OIF has expanded its scope from cultural and educational cooperation to broader global topics, such as economics, politics and research, Sokhonn said.

To this day, there are 396 million French speakers across five continents, making French the world's second-most studied language and the third…

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