Francophonie: meeting between Didier Burkhalter and Michaëlle Jean focuses on including young people and peacebuilding
Bern, 09.07.2015 - Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter met with the secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF), Michaëlle Jean, on the margins of the 41st session of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie held in Bern from 6 to 10 July. The two discussed topics Switzerland plans to prioritise in its cooperation with the IOF. After their meeting they spoke with representatives from the French-speaking youth parliament and took part in the assembly's official opening ceremony.
Switzerland has been a member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie since 1996 and is the 3rd largest contributor to the organisation. During his meeting with Ms Jean, Mr Burkhalter emphasised the excellent cooperation between Switzerland and the Francophonie organisation. He spoke about the two priorities for the Swiss Confederation in its work with the IOF. One priority for Switzerland is peacebuilding and human rights, in particular supporting the affected member states in crisis resolution and reconciliation. Another is addressing violent extremism and promoting the inclusion of young people by improving their prospects. As a member of the IOF, Switzerland is actively sharing its expertise in vocational and online academic training with other French-speaking countries.
Mr Burkhalter also discussed International Geneva with Ms Jean. He drew her attention in particular to Geneva's application to host the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat established under the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) adopted by the UN General Assembly on 2 April 2013. Geneva is the only candidate from a French-speaking nation. Mr Burkhalter and Ms Jean also discussed the mandate entrusted by the IOF to the former President of the Swiss Confederation Pascal Couchepin as the special envoy to the Great Lakes region and his mission to Burundi from 3 to 7 June 2015.
Following their meeting, Mr Burkhalter and Ms Jean spoke with French-speaking youth parliament representatives about what young people bring to politics and about climate change, vocational education and training and gender equality. Later that morning they both took part in the opening ceremony of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, where they delivered opening speeches.
From 6 to 10 July 2015, Switzerland is hosting the plenary of the 41st session of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, attended by 300 parliamentarians from over 50 countries. Held in Bern at the invitation of the Swiss section of the Parliamentary Assembly, it's main theme is: "Encourager l’accès à une formation de qualité pour tous : un défi prioritaire pour la Francophonie" [encouraging access to good quality education for all, a key challenge for La Francophonie]. According to the IOF's charter, the Parliamentary Assembly is a consultative assembly for French-speaking countries. It has been at the centre of French debate on democracy since 1967, helps strengthen democratic institutions and conducts training and cooperation activities, mainly for parliaments in the global South.
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