(information provided by France-Diplomatie)

As the Supreme body for multilateral Francophonie, the Francophone summit brings together, every two years since 1986, Heads of State and Government of countries using French as a common language.

2004 - 10th Francophone Summit in Ouagadougou - from 26 to 27 Nov.

Highlights :

• Summit theme: Solidarity for sustainable development
• Selection of Bucharest as the host city for the 11th Francophone Summit in 2006
• Selection of Québec City as the host of the 12th Summit in 2008
• Adoption of a resolution by participating heads of state and government calling on members of the Francophonie to take action on cultural diversity, notably by supporting the creative talents of the South and disseminating their works within the Francophonie
• Adoption of a first ten-year strategic framework setting out the strategic orientations and guidelines for the now quadrennial operational programs
• Reiteration of the willingness of francophone heads of state and government to help resolve the crises in Ivory Coast and the Middle East
• Reiteration of the willingness of the Francophonie to work toward a solution in WTO negotiations on cotton
• Adoption of a resolution affirming the commitment of the Francophonie to promote the use of French in international organizations and foster education and sustainable development as means of achieving the millennium goals
• Transfer of responsibility for the Committee of the Francophone Games to the Intergovernmental Agency of the Francophonie
• Greece and the Principality of Andorra welcomed as associate members
• Armenia, Austria, Croatia, Georgia, and Hungary welcomed as observer states

2002 - 9th Francophone Summit in Beirut - from 18 to 20 October

La Francophonie truly made the shift towards politics by addressing issues related to the Middle East, including those involving Israel, Palestine and Iraq, as well as those involving Africa, in particular Côte d'Ivoire. The Heads of State and Government made a firm commitment to implementing the "Bamako Declaration" on democracy, good governance and human rights. The Summit indicated support for the principle of the adoption by UNESCO of a convention on cultural diversity that sanctifies the right of States and governments to maintain, set and develop policies in support of culture and cultural diversity. In the Final Declaration of the Beirut Summit, the Heads of State and Government made a commitment to create real synergy between the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the G8 Action Plan for Africa and the activities of la Francophonie. The Summit decided to establish stricter criteria for joining la Francophonie that favour adding to the scope rather than the breadth of the Organization.

Senegal's former President Abdou Diouf was elected Secretary-General of la Francophonie and undertook to pursue the political and cooperative action started by his predecessor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

1999 - 8th Francophone Summit in Moncton - from 3 to 5 September

In Moncton, Francophonie confirmed its ability to attract newcomers : three new observers were welcomed to the summit (Lithuania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic) while two observers acceded to Associated Member status (Macedonia and Albania). Youth issues were chosen as the central topic of the summit. Heads of State and Government committed themselves to the better association of youth issues with Francophonie activities.

The Francophonie movement asserted itself as a privileged body for speaking openly on issues relating to human rights and processes that support democracy. Particular emphasis was placed on cultural diversity and at the same time determination to continue the reform of instruments and procedures for multilateral Francophone cooperation was reaffirmed.


1997 - 7th Francophone Summit in Hanoi - from 14 to 16 November

On the occasion of their seventh meeting, the representatives of 49 Francophonie States and governments, who aimed to focus their attention on economic cooperation, in the end concentrated on conflict prevention in member countries and made a commitment to cooperate with the international community in order to guarantee the respect of human rights.

Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali was elected as the first Secretary General in the history of the organisation. His mission was to ensure that the Agency took on a more active political role with greater influence on the international scene.


1995 - 6th Francophone Summit in Cotonou - from 2 to 4 December

Cotonou marked a turning point for Francophonie from the institutional viewpoint. Its new institutions provided a political dimension on the international scene :

• creation of the General Secretariat for Francophonie
• the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation became the Agency of the Francophonie
• creation of the position of General administrator of the Agency of the Francophonie
• revision of the Agency's charter which becomes the Charter of the Francophonie.

1993 - 5th Francophone Summit in Grand-Baie (Mauritius) - from 16 to 18 October

Participants decide to rename the Summit with "Conference of Heads of State and Government Using French as a Common Language". They recognised the economy as one of the elements that is indissociable from a population's culture and so defined the parameters for economic cooperation between Francophonie Member countries.


1991 - 4th Francophone Summit in Chaillot - from 19 to 21 November

A summit of "maturity and enlargement" according to the Summit host, President Mitterrand. The Summit's almost fifty countries and governments created new institutions and confirmed the role of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT) as main operator and secretariat in all Francophone bodies.


1989 - 3rd Francophone Summit in Dakar - from 24 to 26 March

The forty-one Heads of State and Government meeting in the Senegalese capital devoted the majority of their time to the issue of education and training in Francophone countries.


1987 - 2nd Francophone Summit in Quebec - from 2 to 4 September

Forty-one Heads of State and Government using French as a common language responded positively to the joint invitation from Canada and Quebec. They profited from this second summit to get to know each other better and to pool their experiences relating to a number of activities in the political, economic and cultural areas. A list of priority sectors for Francophonie was drawn up at this summit.


1986 - 1st Francophone Summit in Versailles - from 17 to 19 February

Forty-one countries and governments were represented at this summit held at the Chateau de Versailles. For this first meeting, participants focused on defining objectives based on solidarity.