Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attends opening of 18th Francophonie Summit

The summit, themed “Connectivity in diversity – the digital vector of development and solidarity in the French-speaking world,” is taking place on November 19 and 20 with discussions on political and economic situation in the world.

Vice President Xuan will deliver a keynote speech proposing comprehensive and long-term solutions to build a united and strong Francophone community. She will also have bilateral meetings with other leaders and heads of delegations during the event.

Opening the summit, President of the host country Kais Saied reiterated Tunisia’s strong commitment to Francophone and to the fundamental values expressed via the French language.

Secretary General of the International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo highlighted the strong changes of the OIF over the past 50 years which affirmed its important role and position and promoted multilateralism.

She called on countries to work together to define orientations to build an increasingly dynamic and influential Francophone community, turning it into an inclusive digital space while ensuring cultural and language diversity.

Founded in 1970, the Francophone Community groups 88 member states with the goal of sharing French language and universal values for the sake of peace, cooperation, solidarity and sustainable development. The members are from five continents, with about 220 million French speakers out of a population of 890 million.