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Permanent and Sectoral Conferences of Ministers
Sectoral and permanent ministerial conferences
Sectoral conferences of ministers and symposiums are convened periodically to discuss various areas of multilateral cooperation within La Francophonie. The objective of these ad hoc conferences, which follow up on decisions taken at the summits, is to develop action plans in specific sectors that reflect the concerns of La Francophonie. Sixteen sectoral ministerial conferences have been held since 1971:
- Conference of Public Service Ministers, Lomé, Togo (1971)
- Conference of Scientific Policy Ministers, Luxembourg (1977)
- Conference of Justice Ministers, Paris, France (1980, 1989 and 2008), Cairo, Egypt (1995)
- Conference of Culture Ministers, Cotonou, Benin (1981), Liège, French Community of Belgium (1990)
- Conference of Agriculture Ministers, Paris, France (1981)
- Conference of Ministers of Scientific Research and Higher Education, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire (1983)
- Conference of Communication Ministers, Cairo, Egypt (1985)
- Conference of Environment Ministers, Tunis, Tunisia (1991)
- Conference of Education Ministers of Countries Using French as a Common Language, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (1992)
- Conference of Ministers Responsible for Children, Dakar, Senegal (1993)
- Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Information Highway, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (1997)
- Conference of Economy and Finance Ministers, Monaco (1999)
- Conference of Women of La Francophonie, Luxembourg (2000)
- Ministerial Conference on Culture, Cotonou, Benin (2001)
- Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie on the Information Society, Rabat, Morocco (2003)
- Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie on Conflict Prevention and Human Security, St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada (2006)
Apart from these ad hoc conferences, La Francophonie has two permanent information and cooperation structures at the ministerial level: the Conference of Education Ministers of Countries Using French as a Common Language, and the Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers of Countries Using French as a Common Language.
The Conference of Education Ministers of Countries Using French as a Common Language (CONFEMEN)
The oldest official institution of La Francophonie. Created in 1960, it brings together 41 Francophone ministers responsible for education and training every two years. Its permanent secretariat is in Dakar, Senegal.
Canada joined CONFEMEN in 1969. Since education is a provincial matter, Quebec and New Brunswick are especially active during the meetings of this permanent conference. Ontario and Manitoba are involved in the Canadian delegation on an occasional basis.
The purpose of CONFEMEN is to encourage dialogue, cooperation and coordination in the area of education policies and to conduct high-level discussions about the future of this sector. The International Organization of La Francophonie is responsible for implementing the cooperation projects coming out of these discussions.
The Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers (CONFEJES)
Established in 1969 to meet the common desire of member countries of La Francophonie to develop policies for the development and protection of young people, the Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers (CONFEJES) brings together representatives of 42 countries and governments. As in the case of CONFEMEN, Quebec and New Brunswick are active participating governments at CONFEJES meetings, while Ontario and Manitoba are involved in the Canadian delegation on an occasional basis.
Through its activities, CONFEJES seeks to create conditions that foster the social and professional development of young people by establishing socio-educational structures and making sports a component of continuing education and social development.
CONFEJES is also responsible for the Games of La Francophonie, an initiative launched at the Quebec City Summit in 1987. The Conference set up an international committee responsible for organizing the games every four years.
The Games of La Francophonie adopted an original formal involving both sports and cultural events in order to create a genuine forum for exchanges between participants from member countries. The first games were held in Morocco (1989), followed by France (1994) and Madagascar (1997). Canada was privileged to host the fourth Games of La Francophonie, which took place in the Ottawa-Gatineau region in 2001. The fifth edition was held in Niger in 2005 and Lebanon will host the sixth Games in 2009.
