President To Lam Advocates for Reform and Cooperation at Francophonie Summit
Paris, The Gulf Observer: To Lam, General Secretary of the Party and State President of Vietnam, attended the 19th Francophonie Summit in Paris on October 5, where he delivered a significant speech during the official sessions.
In his address at a session focused on reformed multilateralism, Lâm affirmed the indispensable role of multilateral mechanisms and highlighted the contributions of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) in addressing shared global concerns. He emphasized the OIF’s role in establishing frameworks and principles for emerging issues, underscoring the need to connect multilateralism with major transitional processes, particularly digital transformation and the green transition.
Lâm called for the Francophone community to adapt to these changes and assist member nations in enhancing technological capacities, developing clean energy solutions, and successfully achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stated that science and technology are essential for the community to achieve breakthroughs in the future.
To enhance the effectiveness of multilateral institutions, including the OIF, Lâm stressed the importance of implementing reforms that respond to the rapidly changing global landscape and the evolving Francophone space. He proposed that the Francophone community prioritize the economic cooperation of its members and focus on executing the agreements established at the Summit of the Future.
The General Secretary highlighted that successful multilateralism must ensure inclusiveness, comprehensiveness, and a focus on people, particularly the youth. He urged the Francophone community to strengthen cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchange programs in the French language to maintain the cultural ties that bind Francophone members together, thereby disseminating the results of the community’s cooperation more widely.
During the summit, participating leaders acknowledged the contributions of the Francophone community to promoting dialogue, building peace, and celebrating cultural and linguistic diversity, all vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing global challenges. Concerns were raised regarding recent complex developments in the world, particularly in the Middle East, with calls for reforms in multilateral mechanisms, including those of the Francophonie, to enhance their efficiency and adaptability.
The 19th Francophonie Summit concluded the same day, resulting in the adoption of several important documents, including the Villers-Cotterêts declaration and a resolution on political systems and peace consolidation within the Francophone space, alongside a statement of solidarity with Lebanon.
Additionally, the summit welcomed Ghana and the Republic of Cyprus as official members of the OIF, increasing the organization’s membership to 93. Angola, Chile, Canada’s Nouvelle-Écosse Province, France’s Polynesia region, and Germany’s Sarre state were admitted as observers.
The summit also announced that Côte d’Ivoire will host the 46th Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie next year, while the 20th Francophonie Summit is scheduled to take place in Cambodia in 2026. Notably, Hà Nội hosted the 7th summit in 1997.
The 19th Francophonie Summit was held in France on October 4-5.
