Canada’s National Statement – Open Videoconference Cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations: the role of the International Organisation of La Francophonie

Mister President,

Canada thanks Niger for organizing this important debate to highlight the contribution of La Francophonie to conflict prevention, the peaceful resolution of crises and peacekeeping, and the organization's role at the United Nations. We also thank the six other members of the Security Council who are also either member, associate or observer states of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) for their continued commitment to these two organizations.

Canada has long been committed to developing the political dimension of La Francophonie. Canada has supported the OIF in the defence of democratic values and human rights and has encouraged it to develop mechanisms to enable it to respond to political, security and social crises in the Francophone space.

Founded 50 years ago in Niamey, the OIF channels the aspirations of more than 300 million Francophones on all continents. The actions of the OIF at the United Nations can only make the realities and challenges of the French-speaking populations more tangible and understandable. The OIF's work to promote respect for multilingualism within international organizations is therefore essential for Francophones who wish to be heard and understood in the various multilateral forums. The equal participation of States in international discussions is at stake.

As a bilingual state, we are committed to continuing to support French-language capacity building in peacekeeping missions, including through our contributions to the OIF. Canada is present in three of the five operational zones where French is one of the official languages, or language of common use, in Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Canada supports peace and stabilization efforts in these three countries and in other French-speaking countries such as Haiti, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger and Senegal. Canada also participates in strengthening the military peace capacities of 14 member and associate member countries of La Francophonie and promotes the integration of feminist and gender equality perspectives into the armed forces. Canada also contributes to making key documents and guidelines available in French, some in collaboration with the Department of Peace Operations, as well as training. We will continue our efforts in this regard.

In this time of pandemic that threatens hard-won peacebuilding gains in fragile and conflict-affected states, it is all the more important to mobilize the forces of the Francophone space to protect the most vulnerable, including women and girls. Strengthening collaboration between La Francophonie and the United Nations to ensure the inclusion of women and youth in conflict prevention and resolution and peacebuilding is crucial.

The active participation of women and girls in peace and security creates unique opportunities to achieve transformative solutions and ultimately create more inclusive, peaceful and egalitarian societies.

In this year of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and the 50th anniversary of La Francophonie, Canada is proud to reaffirm its membership in these organizations and to encourage convergence between the UN and the OIF. We are more committed than ever to promoting peace, democracy and human rights, and we will continue to support the actions of the OIF in this mission.

Thank you.