(VOVworld) – The 15th Summit of the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) concluded in Dakar, Senegal, on Sunday, with the adoption of the Dakar Declaration.
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| Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan at the 15th Summit of the International Organisation of Francophonie in Dakar, Senegal, on Sunday. |
A number of documents were approved outlining orientations for the French-speaking community’s operations, including a framework strategy for the 2015-2022 Francophonie cooperation and a Francophonie youth strategy. Summit participants passed a Francophone Economic Strategy to boost intra-bloc economic co-operation and 9 other resolutions related to dispute prevention, anti-terrorism, education and training, cultural diversification, tourism, health care, and the Ebola epidemic. For the first time IOF leaders voiced their concerns about the East Sea situation by passing a resolution on crisis and dispute prevention and preserving peace. They called on all parties involved to show restraint and settle disputes through peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The OIF elected Michaëlle Jean as its new Secretary-General and added Mexico, Costa Rica, and Kosovo as observers, increasing the number of OIF members to 80. On the sidelines of the summit, Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met with the Secretary-General and a number of country leaders to discuss ways to improve bilateral ties.