The International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and the International Association of French-speaking Regions (AIRF) have agreed to deepen their partnership, with Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo announcing a new framework agreement between the two bodies at the opening ceremony of the AIRF General Assembly this week.
Mushikiwabo delivered the address alongside AIRF President Laurent Wauquiez and Eugène Aka Aouélé, President of the Association of Regions and Districts of Côte d’Ivoire (ARDCI), which is co-hosting the gathering.
The assembly, held at the Maison de l’Entreprise in Abidjan-Plateau from June 15 to 17, brings together regional and local leaders from across the French-speaking world and is being held alongside the Rencontres Africa economic forum.
In her remarks, Mushikiwabo praised the AIRF’s work and underscored that the Francophonie’s reach extends beyond diplomatic summits.
She framed decentralized cooperation — collaboration carried out directly between regions, cities and local governments — as a vital complement to the organisation’s work at the international level, one that brings the Francophonie’s mission closer to citizens and territories.
The framework agreement she announced is intended to formalize and expand collaboration between the OIF and AIRF around a set of joint projects of shared interest, though further details on the specific initiatives covered were not outlined during the opening session.
The Abidjan assembly is the AIRF’s first to be hosted in Côte d’Ivoire and was organized in close partnership with the ARDCI.
Organizers have said the gathering is expected to draw several hundred participants, including elected officials and representatives from territorial governments across more than a dozen Francophone countries, alongside business leaders taking part in the parallel Rencontres Africa event.
The signing ceremony adds to a string of recent OIF engagements in Côte d’Ivoire; Mushikiwabo met with President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan in April to discuss bilateral cooperation and preparations for the OIF’s next Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for November in Cambodia.
