Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie

Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), international organization founded in 1970 as the Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique (ACCT; Agency of Cultural and Technical Cooperation), representing French-speaking countries. The OIF was created so as to facilitate cooperation between its members on cultural, political, and economic issues and, through its actions, to promote the French language and linguistic diversity as well as democracy, peace, intercultural dialogue, education, and sustainable development. Its headquarters are in Paris.

The creation of an international community of Francophone countries was first promoted by Pres. Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal. Senghor envisioned “a spiritual community of nations that use French, either as their national language, official language, or working language.” While previous organizations had facilitated cooperation between French-speaking peoples, the first intergovernmental agency dedicated to this purpose was created on March 20, 1970, when the representatives of 21 countries signed the Treaty of Niamey creating the ACCT. African countries took a leadership role, with the presidents of Senegal (Senghor), Tunisia (Habib Bourguiba), and Niger (Hamani Diori) drafting the ACCT charter. The ACCT changed its name in 1998 to the Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie) and in 2005 to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

At its origin the OIF was open solely to those countries where French was either the official language or the main minority language. Over time, however, the OIF expanded to many countries having little connection with the French language, such as Bulgaria and Qatar. Whereas some members are primarily interested in the preservation of the French language, others are attracted to the OIF mainly as an international platform and as a forum for political and economic cooperation. The expansion of the OIF increased its importance as an international organization, but it also raised questions about its core raison d’être. Traditionally, the main financial contributors to the OIF were France and Canada (including Quebec and New Brunswick). Unlike most international organizations, OIF membership is composed not only of countries but also of certain regional governments such as New Brunswick (Canada), Quebec (Canada), and the French Community of Belgium.

The higher decision-making body of the OIF is the Conférence des Chefs d’État et de Gouvernement Ayant le Franƈais en Partage (Conference of Heads of States and Government of Countries Using French as a Common Language, also referred to more succinctly as “the Summit”), which congregates every two years. Decisions are made by consensus or, failing to reach one, by a vote of nine-tenths of the members. The secretary-general of the OIF spearheads its actions and is its global representative. The election of high-profile figures such as Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who headed the United Nations (1992–96), and Abdou Diouf, who was president of Senegal (1981–2000), as secretaries-general contributed to raising the international profile of the organization. The OIF maintains permanent representation at the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations Economic Commission in Africa, and the United Nations itself.

Four operating agencies are charged with implementing the program voted at the OIF Summit: l’Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Academic Agency of La Francophonie), TV5Monde, l’Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (the International Association of Francophone Mayors), and l’Université Senghor d’Alexandrie (the Senghor University of Alexandria). Since 1987 the OIF has also organized the Jeux de la Francophonie (Games of La Francophonie). This international competition takes place every four years, on the year that follows the Olympic Games, and every other host country is an underdeveloped country. Like the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, these contests include both athletic and cultural competitions.