La Francophonie – 30 years on

Romania marks this year 30 years of OIF membership.

Roxana Vasile, 20.03.2023, 14:54

Every year, on March 20, 88 states and governments on five continents, members and observers of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) as well as 321 million French speakers celebrate the International Francophonie Day. This date evokes the signing, in 1970, at the Niamey Convention in Niger, of the treaty establishing the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation, which later became the International Organisation of La Francophonie. Romania, a member of OIF, also celebrates this year 30 years since it became a full member of the institutional Francophonie. In 2007, the then Secretary General of La Francophonie designated Romania a flagship-state of La Francophonie, in Central and Eastern Europe. Romania has actively participated in meetings of the various structures of La Francophonie and its operators. Romania has also contributed to the drawing up of the OIFs strategic documents, being one of the organisations important actors in terms of financial contribution and actions for the promotion of the Francophonie and its values.

In the context of the 30-year anniversary, this year, of Romanias membership to the institutional Francophonie, of the celebration on March 20 of the International Francophonie Day, and of the Francophonie Month, marked every year in Romania, the Foreign Ministry, through embassies and consulates as well as the Romanian Cultural Institute, have scheduled over 60 events in around 50 countries. Exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, conferences, literary events, cultural diplomacy projects, theatre shows, workshops, book launches and multimedia show will be held.

In political terms, the 30 years of Francophonie were marked by the visit to Romania, last week, of the OIF Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo, who too part in an International Conference dubbed “The Francophonie of the future: education for sustainable development.” On this occasion, President Klaus Iohannis said that 30 years since joining the OIF, Romania wants an active, inclusive and influential Francophonie, directed towards a sustainable future, which ca only be achieved in an environment of peace and stability. The Francophonie of the future is being built every day and Romania is an active part of this process and a strong contributor to it, Iohannis also said. (EE)