On 4–5 October 2024, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Melbārde, will represent Latvia at the Francophonie Summit held in the town of Villers-Cotterêts and in the capital of France, Paris. Since the origins of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, this is the third summit hosted by France. The event will be guided by the theme, “Create, innovate and do business in French” (Créer, innover, entreprendre en français), to generate discussion on the opportunities offered by the French language for promoting employment, innovations and starting companies. To prepare the summit, a Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie is being held on 3 October, at which Latvia is represented by the Ambassador of Latvia to France, Alise Balode.
Latvia joined the International Organisation of La Francophonie as an observer on 19 October 2008. Cooperation between Latvia and the countries of La Francophonie takes place both in the bilateral and multilateral formats. The International Organisation of La Francophonie, under the Memorandum of Partnership on National Francophone Initiatives for 2023–2026, co-finances French language training for employees of Latvia’s public institutions. This is of special importance for those working in an international setting, for instance, representing Latvia in the European Union and international organisations.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie brings together the states or governments of federal territories that use the French language on a daily basis or want to strengthen its presence in society, and have committed to cooperation with the aim of promoting democracy and humanist values across the globe. The organisation comprises 88 states and territories.