Madagascar: 2016 Francophone Summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar (November 26-27, 2016)

The 16th Francophonie Summit will be held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on November 26 and 27, 2016. This will be the initial Summit organized by Madagascar and the second to take place in the region, next the 5th Summit in Grand-Baie, Mauritius, in 1993. The theme chosen by Madagascar is “Shared increase and responsible development: conditions for stability around the world and within La Francophonie.” The Summit will be preceded by the 32nd session of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie (CMF), to be held on November 23 and 24, 2016, and by a session of the Permanent Council of La Francophonie on November 22.

The 16th Francophonie Summit will be chaired by the President of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who appointed Hugues Ratsiferana as the President of the Conseil national d’orientation [the national policy council] for the 16th Summit. Madagascar’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Béatrice Atallah, will chair the 32nd session of the CMF. Mme Atallah visited Canada in April 2016, at the same time as she met with the International Affairs Minister, Stéphane Dion, and the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Marie-Claude Bibeau, regarding the preparations for the Antananarivo Summit.

The Antananarivo Summit is a priority for Canada because it is the initial Francophonie Summit for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and for Michaëlle Jean as Secretary General. It will provide Canada with the opportunity to promote priority themes, inclunding empowerment, the health and rights of women and girls, combatting radicalization to violence and violent extremism, and climate change. Canada has been working since mid-April with other states and governments in La Francophonie to prepare documents for the Summit, inclunding the Antananarivo Declaration and its resolutions. Canada is as well participating in meetings with authorities studying the institutional decisions that will need to be taken by the heads of national and government during the Summit. Those decisions include OIF membership for new states and governments and the designation of the host country for the 2018 Summit.

International Day of La Francophonie

The International Day of La Francophonie was instituted in 1988 to Mark the establishment of the Agence de coopération culturelle et technique [the cultural and technical cooperation agency], today's International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), during the Niamey conference in Niger on March 20, 1970. As a result, each year on March 20, Francophones and Francophiles from around the world celebrate and participate in various events highlighting the diversity and richness of the French language and Francophone culture. In order to highlight this international day, a series of cultural demonstrations as well take place throughout the month of March. It is an excellent opportunity for Francophones to celebrate their attachment to the French language and to the rich and diverse Francophone culture. These celebrations as well highlight the values of peace, democracy, respect for human rights, sustainable development, and solidarity that unite the members of the Francophone world. Through its network of over 170 diplomatic missions abroad, Canada highlights its belonging to La Francophonie each year.

Games of La Francophonie

The Games of La Francophonie were created in 1987 by the heads of national and government of La Francophonie who were gathered for the Québec Summit. These international games unite young people in La Francophonie between the ages of 18 and 35 through athletic competitions, cultural contests, and digital and ecological creation challenges. The Games, which take place each four years, the year next the Olympics, alternate between developed and developing nations. Seven editions of the Games of La Francophonie have taken place to date: France, September 2013; Lebanon, October 2009; Niger, December 2005; Canada, July 2001; Madagascar, September 1997; France, July 1994; and Morocco, July 1989. The 8th edition of the Games of La Francophonie will be held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in July 2017. On March 1st, 2016, the Advisory Body of the International Committee for the Francophonie Games recommended the appointment of New Brunswick (Moncton-Dieppe) as host of the 2021 Games. This approbation was endorsed on April 7th by the Permanent Council for la Francophonie and again during the 23-24 November, 2016, Ministerial Conference for la Francophonie. Canada has taken part in each edition of the Games and hosted the 2001 Games in Ottawa-Hull.

The Canadian delegation to the Games of La Francophonie has always consisted of three different teams: Canada, Canada-Quebec and Canada-New Brunswick. This reflects Canada’s participation in the OIF, where New Brunswick and Quebec are separate members. The Canadian representation is nevertheless based on the principle of unity, since the three teams are united in one delegation. During the majority recent Games of La Francophonie, held in Nice, France, in September 2013, the Canadian delegation earned 45 medals, placing second behind the host country.
Previous summit

Dakar Summit, Senegal (November 29-30, 2014)

The 15th Francophonie Summit, which was held in Dakar, Senegal, on November 29 and 30, 2014, was significant for Canada. The heads of national and government of La Francophonie appointed Canadian Michaëlle Jean as Secretary General and adopted a Canadian-led resolution on maternal, newborn and child health. Canada was as well able to forward several of its foreign policy and development priorities, namely by having paragraphs included in the Dakar Declaration on the prevention of child marriage, early and forced marriage, and on the fight against the spread of the Ebola virus. Canada as well actively contributed to other critical documents which were adopted at the Summit: the 2015-2022 Strategic Framework for La Francophonie, the 2015-2018 quadrennial programming to address the challenges facing La Francophonie, the Economic Strategy for La Francophonie and the 2015-2022 Youth Strategy. Canada as well contributed to the decision-making process that led to the acceptance of three new observers: Kosovo, Costa Rica and Mexico. The Canadian delegation was chaired by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, again Prime Minister of Canada.