XI^th Francophonie Summit: theme of education and information and communications technologies reflects Canadian values

(September 6, 2006)

The symbol of the Summits of la Francophonie was developed for the second Summit, which was held in Quebec City in 1987. Read more…

• XI^th Francophonie Summit: Bucharest, Romania, September 28 and 29, 2006

The XI^th Summit will focus on education and information and communications technologies.

The Francophonie Summits, held every two years, enable heads of state and government to hold a dialogue on the major international issues of the day. They also serve to define the policies and goals of la Francophonie so as to ensure the organization's influence on the world scene.

Canada's involvement in la Francophonie highlights the country's linguistic duality, and supports and promotes Canada's French community.

It gives Canada the opportunity to promote its democratic, cultural and economic values, more particularly: the development of democratic institutions, human rights, the rule of law, and peace and human security. Canada also benefits from the political, cultural, scientific and other contributions made by its fellow members.

La Francophonie, a community of countries and people who use French in their domestic or international relations, brings together more than 60 states and governments from five continents. Its scope of influence is similar to that of the Organization of American States or the Commonwealth.

Did you know?

• Romania was the first of thirteen Francophone countries in Central and Eastern Europe to be admitted to the International Organization of La Francophonie.
• This XI^th Francophonie Summit in Bucharest will be the first such Summit held in Central and Eastern Europe.
• Canada will host the XII^th Summit in 2008, the year that Quebec City - one of the oldest cities in the Americas - will commemorate the 400^th anniversary of its founding.
• The first Francophonie Summit was held 20 years ago in France.
• In 1880, French geographer Onésime Reclus coined the term "francophonie" to describe the community of people and countries using French for various purposes.

* Note that some of the sites mentioned above are only available in French.