The 15th Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie
(IOF) concluded on November 30 in Dakar, Senegal after passing the Dakar
Declaration and important resolutions that advocated boosting economic
partnership in the French-speaking community.
Senior leaders of IOF member states and governments have for the first
time raised concern about the East Sea issue in a resolution on
preventing crisis and disputes and strengthening peace in the
French-speaking country.
They called on parties
concerned to practice utmost restraint and settle all disputes through
peaceful measures in line with international law, including the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea while lauding efforts to
maintain peace, stability and maritime and aviation security, safety and
freedom in the region.
Along with the declaration,
participants at the two-day event also approved a number of documents
mapping out orientations for the French-speaking community’s operation,
including a framework strategy for Francophonie cooperation for the
2015-22 period and a Francophonie youth strategy.
They passed an economic strategy that paves the way for stronger economic collaboration among the community in the future.
They also agreed on resolutions on preventing crisis and disputes in
some countries and regions, anti-terrorism, education and training,
cultural diversification, tourism, health care, and Ebola epidemic.
Under the theme “Women and Children in the Francophonie: Peacemakers
and Key-Players for Development,” the summit also committed to enhancing
the role and position of the French-speaking community in the world
arena and increasing its contributions to common issues facing the
international community such as terrorism, climate change and Ebola
epidemic.
The IOF elected Michaelle Jean as its new
Secretary-General while adding Mexico, Costa Rica and Kosovo as new
observer members, raising the number of IOF members to 80.
The Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Vice President
Nguyen Thi Doan, who met with the Presidents of Senegal, Cameroon and
Mauritius, the Prince of Monaco, the Egyptian Prime Minister, the
Tunisian provisional Prime Minister, the Haiti Foreign Minister and the
IOF Secretary-General, seeking to bolster bilateral ties.
The IOF Summit is held every two years, with the first taking place in
1986 in France. Vietnam hosted the 7th IOF summit in 1997.
The 16th IOF summit was set for 2016 in Madagascar.-VNA