Vietnam attends the 50th General Assembly of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF)

The opening session of APF 50 was held at the French National Assembly. The sessions of the 50th General Assembly of the Francophone Parliamentary Union take place alternately in the French Senate and the National Assembly.

The 50th General Assembly of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF) took place from July 9-13 in Paris (France), with the participation of more than 500 delegates from more than 50 countries.

With the theme “The Francophone political community, a fulcrum in a world in crisis”, at the opening session, senior leaders affirmed the importance of the Francophone community as a space for dialogue, solidarity and a stable solution in a volatile world context.

Delegation of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam attends the opening session of APF 50.

Ms. Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the French National Assembly, emphasized that French has a strong influence with 320 million people using this language across all continents.

The President of the French National Assembly said: The Francophone Parliamentary Union is built not only on language, but also on universal values such as peace , solidarity, the rule of law and cultural diversity. In the context of a world full of changes, APF member countries have a valuable common asset: the French language.

This is the common point for the Francophone Community to continuously share in order to carry out many cooperative activities and share the most common values: maintaining democracy, the rule of law and promoting gender equality.

On this occasion, the President of the French National Assembly welcomed the accession of four new members of parliament, including Ghana, the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, the State of Saarland (Germany) and the Indian Ocean Parliamentary Assembly (as observer), bringing the total number of members to 99.

According to Ms. Yael Braun-Pivet, the Francophone Parliamentary Union plays an important role in building friendship between parliaments, demonstrating its effectiveness in responding to crises through parliamentary diplomacy, election observation missions and mediation.

President of the French National Assembly Yael Braun-Pivet speaks at the Opening Session.

The President of the French Senate, Mr. Gérald Larcher, said that the 50th General Assembly of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF) will focus on a variety of topics such as the situation of democracy and political crises in the Francophone space, fighting financial crime and organized crime, and fighting fake news.

APF will also further promote women's participation in political life, equal rights, protection of women in armed conflicts, and increased youth recruitment.

President of the French Senate Gérald Larcher speaks at the Opening Session.

APF will also strengthen the parliamentary capacity of member countries, the diversity of cultural expressions, the situation of French language teaching in the world and the resilience of agriculture to climate change.

Mr. Hilarion Etong, President of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF), affirmed that the 50th General Assembly is a “historic moment”, both a meeting of memories and a milestone of hope. Mr. Etong affirmed France’s role in bringing together the voices of the Francophone Community, contributing to building a space of peace, dialogue and democracy.

The APF President emphasized that the strength of the Alliance comes from its diversity and its ability to reconcile differences between regions and countries. Regarding the future vision, Mr. Hilarion Etong called on APF members to respond to urgent challenges, protect peace, fight against divisive rhetoric, ensure social justice, and digital modernization.

APF President Hilarion Etong speaks at the Opening Session.

Mr. Thani Mohamed Soilihi, French Secretary of State in charge of the Francophone Community and International Partnership, affirmed that the Francophone Parliamentary Union is a space for inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation aimed at building solidarity, even in times of crisis.

According to the French Secretary of State, the admission of four new members to the Francophonie is a testament to the growing attractiveness of the Francophonie. France is committed to making an active contribution to strengthening the rule of law, promoting economic development, supporting youth and implementing environmental plans.

To build a stronger, more innovative and fairer Francophone Community, Mr. Thani Mohamed Soilihi outlined four major ambitions for the APF.

These include promoting democracy and the rule of law by strengthening parliamentary culture and citizens' trust in institutions; supporting young people by investing in education and training; stimulating the Francophone economy by promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and promising partnerships between countries. Finally, committing to an ecological transition, making the Francophone space a model of environmental solidarity.

The 50th Assembly of the Francophone Parliamentary Union (APF) is an occasion to reaffirm the commitment of member states to common values and the growing role of the APF in addressing global challenges.

Previously, at a meeting with Vice President of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh, President of the Francophone Parliamentary Union, First Vice President of the National Assembly of Cameroon Hilarion Etong highly appreciated Vietnam for sending a high-level delegation to attend the 50th APF General Assembly.

He thanked Vietnam for successfully organizing the APF Executive Board Meeting in January 2025 and the Francophone Cooperation Forum on sustainable agriculture, food security and climate change with the Can Tho Declaration on the role of parliamentarians in this field, which had a widespread impact with many practical contents, contributing to the common activities of the organization.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh emphasized that Vietnam always participates in and makes positive contributions to the common activities of APF through the activities of the Vietnam Sub-Committee in APF. Vietnam consistently implements its foreign policy: being a friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community.

TRIUMPHAL ARROW - MINH DUY

Reporter of Nhan Dan Newspaper, resident in France

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-tham-du-dai-hoi-dong-lien-minh-nghi-vien-phap-ngu-apf-lan-thu-50-post893383.html