Leaders of French-speaking countries gathered at a summit in Tunisia on Saturday, with the ambition of seeing the bloc play an “increased role” internationally in resolving the ongoing crises.
The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), a space of 88 member, associate or observer countries, must assert “its influence in a fractured world”, estimated its secretary general Louise Mishikiwabo, at the start of a two-day summit. on the island of Djerba.
“La Francophonie must remain a link to prevent tensions from degenerating into conflicts”, underlined the former head of Rwandan diplomacy, advocating an “uninhibited Francophonie” and “more united” in “the elaboration of common positions” to move towards a “redesigned multilateralism”.
She cited the many “storms” the planet is going through, such as the Covid-19 pandemic or environmental and technological challenges.
The summit must officially focus on the economy, with the slogan “digital as a vector of development”. “It is our responsibility to lead the battle for youth employment in our space,” said Ms. Mishikiwabo, whose projects also focus on female entrepreneurship.
The OIF summit — founded in 1970 — coincides with the final phase of COP27 on the climate in Egypt and follows a G20 meeting in Indonesia dominated by the war in Ukraine, an observer country within the OIF.
– “Tangible results” –
The head of the OIF did not mention this conflict in her speech, but French President Emmanuel Macron, present at the summit, said he wanted to discuss it with the other leaders, according to his entourage.
On this issue, a gap has widened between African countries regretting a lack of international solidarity with the continent, in the face of Westerners very mobilized to come to the aid of Ukraine.
Kais Saied, the President of Tunisia, who is hosting this summit sixteen months after his coup in July 2021, expressed the wish to see the meeting bring “tangible and effective results” in the face of “the upheavals the world is experiencing”.
Alluding to the growing divisions between poor countries and developed states sitting within the OIF, President Saied called for “dreaming of a better world (…)”. During a press conference in Tunis, the National Salvation Front, which brings together its main opponents, regretted that Tunisia “is hosting the summit while its institutions are devoid of legitimacy”.
– “Purr of the summits” –
On behalf of France, Emmanuel Macron advocated a “Francophonie of action” far from the “purr of the summits”.
“We were able to have a statement from all the members (…) which has a very clear position on the war launched by Russia in Ukraine”, added the French president during a press briefing in the evening, without giving more details.
He also announced that France had applied to organize the summit of La Francophonie in 2024.
The French president had an interview with President Saied, after which Paris announced a loan of 200 million euros to Tunisia, to support its faltering economy.
Recalling that Tunisia, “like many countries in the region, was very dependent on Ukrainian and Russian cereals”, Mr. Macron stressed that “funding has been provided” to help it obtain wheat supplies.
In addition to Mr. Macron, other leaders such as the Canadian Justin Trudeau, the President of the European Council Charles Michel or the Senegalese Macky Sall are in Djerba.
On the other hand, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, preferred to stay in his country in the midst of the conflict in the east with the M23 rebels. And its Prime Minister, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, refused to pose in the family photo next to Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
For his part, Nikol Pashinian, the Prime Minister of Armenia and outgoing president of La Francophonie, used his speech to denounce the “unjustified and unprovoked pressure” from Azerbaijan, its neighbor.
The re-election for four years of the secretary general of the OIF, alone in the running, is also on the menu of the summit which will continue on Sunday between representatives of this space of 321 million French-speakers, called to become 750 million in 2050, thanks to the ‘Africa.