At Kinshasa Summit (13-14 October 2012), the institutional Francophonie took up an international strategy based on multilingualism with the French language in common. Attached is the reference document which states:
Take up the political challenge of multilingualism
Statements
The globalization of economy and the multipolarity of international relations gradually lead to the establishment of a new world organization of linguistic exchanges. This evolution calls for priority action on the status of French, but also calls on to reflect on its place and its role in the new relationship being established between international languages.
The predominance of English in different fields of activity is a proven fact. However, we have also witnessed in recent years the emergence of new linguistic ambitions in developing countries (Brazil, Russia, China ...). Claiming their new economic power, emerging countries aspire to a more representative linguistic balance of their new status. The hegemonic model of a single language in this context is increasingly controversial and less adapted to the new balance of powers.
Stake
Francophonie must ensure the position and influence of the French language on the new linguistic world scene. Any action in favor of French must take into account the new relationship between international languages, multilingualism being a political challenge common to the major linguistic areas.
Priority objectives
The already established cooperation with the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking areas on the issue of multilingualism deserves to open up to other areas, including Arabic-speaking space in order to lead an overall reflection on linguistic diversity as an essential component of cultural diversity, an essential lever for the sustainable development of communities, peoples and nations.
Francophonie should :
-enhance the interests it shares with other major language areas to establish the cooperation for multilingualism based on reciprocity;
- generalize the learning of several foreign languages in educational systems;
- Preserve the linguistic diversity of the French-speaking space which is appearing included in the harmonious coexistence of the French with the partner languages.
Donwload the reference documents :
-Integrated policy for promoting the French language, French, a language of today and tomorrow
Translation: Ana Megrelishvili