Francophonie – International Francophonie Day (20 March) and French Language and Francophonie Week (13-21 March 2021)

Share

This week we are celebrating the French language, spoken by 300 million people – most under age 30 – on five continents, and the values it embodies: commitment to the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and equality between men and women. The year’s theme, selected by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), will be “Francophone women, resilient women.” The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ cooperation and cultural action network, the Instituts Français, and French educational establishments (attended by 370,000 students, including 126,000 French and 244,000 foreign students) have joined forces to stage a series of events throughout the week.

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State for Tourism, French Nationals Abroad and Francophonie, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will take part in several events, including the launch of the Dictionnaire des Francophones, an app created to bring together and showcase expressions from around the French-speaking world; a meeting with residents of the new Maison des Etudiants Francophones at the Cité Universitaire de Paris; an event at the Economic, Social and Environmental Council; and from the Maison de la Francophonie de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, a conversation with the international network of Maisons de la Francophonie.

End-of-year planning will also take place during this week. In November, the 18th OIF Summit will be held in Djerba, Tunisia. Stakeholders will meet there to discuss their priorities. France will advocate for several priorities, the top ones being promoting and teaching the French language, political issues and issues of democratic governance, and economic and digital challenges.