On 4 and 5 October 2024, France became the world’s cultural epicenter. It hosted the 19th Francophonie Summit, an event that had not been held in France for 33 years. With the theme “Créer, innover, entreprendre en français”, more than a hundred delegations, including several heads of African states, arrived in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris to promote the French language and address major contemporary issues such as politics, the economy, digital and especially culture.

Under the sign of linguistic and cultural diversity
On 4 October, French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife and Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), received several personalities at the Village de la Francophonie at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, from various parts of the world and sharing the French language. It was a unique immersion in the Francophone cultural diversity. More than 30 countries and regions of the world were represented through pavilions, shows and performances, illustrating the creativity and richness of living arts from five continents as well as the vitality and plurality of francophone cultures.

Major diplomatic and political issues
The summit was not only a cultural event. It was also a major political platform, as more than 321 million people around the world share this language. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Louise Mushikiwabo, opened the event with a fiery speech in Villers-Cotterêts. He highlighted the resilience and reinvention of the French language. “La Francophonie is a space of diplomatic influence that allows us to embrace the challenges of the century,” said the French president, stressing that the French language is a tool for “resistance” and “combat”. True to his style, he used strong language while emphasizing the role of the Francophonie in defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, referring to the conflict in Ukraine and the crises in the Middle East.

Institutions that are stumbling
Founded in 1970, the OIF brings together 88 states and governments and is committed to the promotion of French and international cooperation. This year’s summit sees the addition of two new members, Ghana and Cyprus, strengthening the organization’s global reach. However, the current geopolitical tensions, especially with the Sahelian countries in the grip of coups (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), are also at the heart of the discussions. These states, suspended from the OIF’s bodies, were not invited to the event. The summit also addresses crucial issues such as digital regulation. In response to the spread of hate speech online, the OIF launched “l’Appel de Villers-Cotterêts”, a call to digital giants to build a safer and more diverse digital space.

A booming Francophonie
The number of French speakers could grow exponentially, especially in Africa where population is expanding. By 2050, this figure could reach 715 million, placing the Francophonie at the heart of global educational and economic issues. However, this ambition requires a significant investment in French language education and support, especially in developing countries. Although the Francophonie is sometimes criticized for its lack of visibility or limited influence, Louise Mushikiwabo remains optimistic about her ability to “move things forward” despite the challenges.

A memorable international event
The year 2024 is a great year for the Francophonie. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, these historic moments can be said to reinforce the importance of the French language on the international stage. In order to show that the Francophonie is not limited to the French language, several English-speaking countries, such as Ghana, were invited. In a world resolutely turned towards the use of English, the French language still has good days ahead.

The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, the 8th since the agreement, opened this Thursday, December 12 (on the vast campus of Expo City, decorated with trees and foliage, located on the outskirts of Dubai), under the vibrant recommendations of Emirati Sultan al-Jaber, President of COP28 to find a way to include fossil fuels responsibility for the consequences of climate change in the final agreement.” In his opening speech, he stressed the role of fossil fuels, which are highly emitting greenhouse gases. As the head of the national oil company Adnoc, he referred in particular to companies such as his, “I am grateful that they have accelerated the pace. But I have to say it’s not enough. And I know they can do so much more.”

the Egyptian Sameh Choukri, President of Cop 27’ is also expressed at the opening ceremony that took place late Thursday morning, before passing the torch to Sultan al-Jaber. “Let’s never lose sight of our North Star, the 1.5°C,” he said, applauded by the hearing. Other speakers included Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

A crucial transition to limit warming to 1.5°C from the pre-industrial era and the objective of the Paris agreement were on the agenda. Finance was also a thorny issue, while expert groups estimate that the world must invest more than $3 trillion a year (about €2,737 billion) by 2030 to achieve the climate goals. So far, developed countries are far from it, whether it is investments for the energy transition or adaptation to the consequences of climate change.

At the same time, and at the same time, a press briefing was held by a climate justice organization, better known as PACJA, the Pan-African Alliance for Climate Justice. PACJA in its press briefing finds it inconsistent and unfair that Africa, which contributes very little to global greenhouse gas emissions, continues to suffer the harmful effects of climate change with impunity.” With this in mind, it calls for immediate and substantial action to address the glaring lack of adequate adaptation measures for the continent. The Alliance delegates were firm in their statements, advocating recognition and beyond, immediate and unconditional correction of the historical injustice facing African nations.

Everything will be decided in the next 15 days with more than 70,000 participants around the negotiating tables, a number to which must be added the multiple actors (companies, observers, activists, etc.) The 28th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate is expected to break the record for attendance at a COP, but also, as a result, the event’s carbon footprint, that is, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the organization.

The leaders’ summit on 1 and 2 December remains decisive for the future. Will be expected for a speech, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, President of the European Council and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Initially expected, Pope Francis finally cancelled his trip for health reasons.

Still, “Today’s news on loss and damage is a good start for this UN climate conference. All governments and negotiators must use this momentum to achieve ambitious results here in Dubai,” said UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell at a press conference where the announcement was made.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the decision to operationalize the new Loss and Damage Fund. According to him, it is an “essential tool for ensuring climate justice.” “I call on leaders to make generous contributions and get the Fund and Climate Conference off to a solid start,” he said.

As a reminder, this fund is a long-standing demand from developing countries, which are at the forefront of climate change and are facing the cost of the ravages caused by ever-increasing extreme weather events, such as drought, flooding, coastal erosion, and so on.

After several years of intense negotiations at annual UN climate meetings, developed countries expressed support for the need to create this fund last year at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Sultan al-Jaber, president of the COP28 climate conference, reportedly said his country, the United Arab Emirates, would commit $100 million to the fund.

Germany would also have pledged a contribution of $100 million to the fund. The United States and Japan also announced their contribution to the fund.

This 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which began on Thursday 1st, will take place until Tuesday 12 December 2023.

Source: Senepress

German internal intelligence warned Wednesday, November 28, 2023, against the “real” and “long-standing” risk of Islamist attacks in the country due to the war between Israel and Hamas.

 “We see calls in the jihadist movement for attacks and for al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) to join the Middle East conflict,” said the director of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, in a statement.

This public warning – rare from this body in Germany – demonstrates the concern of the authorities, who fear potential “projects (attacks) against the security of Jews, Israeli institutions, but also major public events” in the country.

 “The danger is real and has not been so high for a long time,” said Mr. Haldenwang.

 The German authorities are concerned about the import of the conflict into their country since the beginning of the war, triggered by the bloody attack of the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7 on Israeli soil from the Gaza Strip.

According to Israel, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack, in which about 240 people were abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip.

In retaliation, Israel, which vowed to “annihilate” Hamas, relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip until a truce came into effect on Friday. Nearly 15,000 people were killed by these Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas government.

On 2 November, Germany banned activities on its soil related to Hamas, in particular those of the Samidoun association.

This network claims to support the Palestinian prisoners and had distributed pastries in Berlin to celebrate the “victory of the resistance” after the attack of October 7.

Intelligence also points to other dangers, such as “Palestinian extremists, Turkish right-wing extremists, and German and Turkish left-wing extremists,” which “spread hatred, unrest, propaganda, or fake news on social media.” on the conflict.

At the same time, “German right-wing extremists are taking advantage of the current situation to agitate against Muslims and migrants,” Intelligence said.