The 15^th 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.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan (centre) at the closing ceremony

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. Viet Nam hosted the 7^th IOF summit in 1997.

The 16^th IOF summit was set for 2016 in Madagascar.

(Source: VNA)