Addis Ababa, 30 March 2023 (ECA) - The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), its multilingualism partners and the Permanent Missions in Ethiopia, celebrated International French Language Day on 30 March 2023, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Commemorated on 20 March each year - in reference to 20 March 1970, when the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation was created, which later became the OIF - the day was postponed this year due to the holding of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. The theme of the 2023 edition, "321 million Francophones, billions of cultural contents", aimed to promote creative imagination, Francophone artistic creativity and cultural diversity.
Opening the session, ECA's Acting Executive Secretary, Antonio Pedro, highlighted the link between multilingualism and peace, stating that cultural diversity is at the centre of dialogue between people and cultures. Language and daily experiences serve as fertile ground for understanding, tolerance, crisis management and peace.
"In order to practice tolerance and live in peace with one another in good neighbourliness, as proclaimed the United Nations Charter, we must first understand each other or promote a better understanding of each other's way of life and socio-cultural identity. "This, he said, is only possible if we have some knowledge of different cultures and traditions, as well as different value systems and if we learn to accept ourselves despite our differences, he added.
The event brought together representatives from member states, including ambassadors and heads of permanent missions.
Abdelhamid Gharbi, Ambassador of Tunisia to Ethiopia, Head of the Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the African Union (AU) and ECA and Chairman of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors (GAF) in Addis Ababa, reaffirmed his commitment to valuing the immense potential of this language as a tool for peace, dialogue, cooperation and international solidarity.
To convey the value of communication in French, Ms. Nefertiti Mushiya Tshibanda, Representative of the OIF to the AU and ECA, highlighted the ongoing rich cultural creativity in the French-speaking world and the value of cultural industries as important levers for economic development and job creation, especially among young people.
"Although French is the 4th most spoken language in the world, only 12% of online content is in French," she lamented, adding that by 2050, more than 85% of French speakers will be from the African continent and will be mainly young people. “They are for us, the Francophonie of the future. This should challenge us so that together we respond to the call of the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Louise Mushikiwabo, to roll back the decline of French.”
Mahaman Lawan Abou, Chief of the French Translation and Publishing Unit at ECA, pointed out that of the three groups in the ECA language service (the other two being English and Arabic), the French Unit is the most in demand. However, more needs to be done to address the virtual absence of French language upstream as “the production of knowledge, studies and reports, in almost all cases is in English,” he added.
For her part, Marjorie Pégourié-Khellef, Attaché for Educational and University Cooperation at the Embassy of France, welcomed the efforts of the Ethiopian Ministry of Education to reintroduce foreign languages in the curriculum of high schools. French, she said, is a lever for youth employability in Ethiopia, thanks to French training and expertise.
Mr Abou concluded the session on behalf of Ms. Nita Kumaree Deerpalsing, Director of the Publications, Conference & Knowledge Management Division and said: “Let us work together, as we are already doing with the International Organization of La Francophonie and our other partners in multilingualism, to perpetuate the culture of peace, understanding and tolerance.”
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org
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