<html>
<head>
<meta name="generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 12">
<meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<style>
p
{
margin-top: 0px;
margin-bottom: 1px
}
body
{
font-family: "Arial", sans-serif;
font-size: 12pt;
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">March 27, 2006 <i>(7:05 a.m. EST)</i><br>
No. 28<span style="font-size: 12pt"></span></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">CANADA STRENGTHENS SUPPORT FOR </span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LA FRANCOPHONIE</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official
Languages Josée Verner today announced that Canada will contribute more than
$1 million over two years to support institutional strengthening at the International
Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). In discussions in Paris with OIF Secretary-General Abdou Diouf, the Minister also announced a contribution of $500,000 to
support a project at the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“Francophones are an essential part of the Canadian identity, and Canada is proud to
belong to the OIF,” said Minister Verner. “La Francophonie has taken an important step
in strengthening its institutional capacity, and Canada is pleased to be supporting it.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Canada’s contribution will enable the OIF to strengthen its institutions. In particular, it
will enable the organization to obtain expert help in implementing organizational
reforms and optimizing results-based management capacity. </span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The second contribution—$500,000 over two years to the AUF—will support an
important training project in university management. Under this project, mechanisms
will be put in place to strengthen cooperation between universities in the North and the
South that will improve the quality of training in university management. Three large
regions will be targeted with this project: West Africa, Central Africa and the Indian
Ocean.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">During their meeting, Minister Verner and Mr. Diouf also discussed the forthcoming
Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie on conflict prevention and human security.
The conference will take place from May 12 to 14, 2006, in St. Boniface, Manitoba, and
will be chaired by the Minister.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“This conference confirms the commitment of La Francophonie, including Canada, to
establishing and building democracy, preventing conflict, and advocating for the rule of
law and human rights,” the Minister said.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The results from the conference should contribute to discussions at the next Summit of
La Francophonie, to be held in Bucharest, Romania, in September 2006.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Created in 1970, the IOF now has 49 state and government members, four associate
states and 10 observer states. Canada is La Francophonie’s second largest donor,
after France. It provided some $50 million in 2004-05 through the Canadian
International Development Agency, Foreign Affairs Canada and the Department of
Canadian Heritage.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Funding for these initiatives is built into the existing federal fiscal framework.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">- 30 -</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221061142/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Media Relations Office</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000">Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)</span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif">(819) 953-6534<br>
</span></span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221061142/mailto:info@acdi-cida.gc.ca"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">info@acdi-cida.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"><br>
</span></span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221061142/http://www.acdi.gc.ca/"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.acdi.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
</body>
</html>
