Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries

The headquarters of the Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries, previously referred to as the “International Assembly of Parliamentarians of the French-speaking Parliamentarians”, is located in Paris.

In May 1967 a constituent assembly of the International Association of Parliamentarians of the French-speaking countries was held in Luxembourg . At that time, it united delegates from 23 parliaments of countries in Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries is the only inter-parliamentary organization of the French-speaking countries recognized by the Charter of the French-speaking countries .

The Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries is a forum for discussion, putting forward proposals and exchanging information on all issues of mutual interest to its members. It participates in the institutional life of francophone countries, formulating conclusions and recommendations to the ministerial conference of the French-speaking countries and the International Organization of the French-speaking countries, heads of state and government of countries using the French language. She speaks to the heads of state during the summits of French-speaking countries. It initiates and implements measures in the areas of inter-parliamentary cooperation and the development of democracy. Its activities are aimed at strengthening solidarity between parliamentary institutions and the development of democracy and the rule of law, particularly in the framework of the French-speaking community.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries conducts important analytical work on topics such as political rights and freedoms, parliaments and communication, the economic space of French-speaking countries and decentralized cooperation, as well as education, barriers to the spread of knowledge in French-speaking countries, the role of the French language in international cooperation. The Assembly formulates its recommendations on the basis of reports prepared by its commissions.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries unites 73 parliaments and assemblies of the countries of Africa, North and South America, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. Representatives of parliaments and organizations of French speaking countries take part in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries.

• 52 permanent members;
• 14 associate members;
• 17 observers. ^[one]

Permanent members

Associate Members

Observers

• Economic Community of West African Countries ( Fr. Communauté Économique des États de l'Afrique de l'ouest CEDEAO) (Parlement)
• Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa ( Fr. Communauté économique et monétaire de l'Afrique centrale , CEMAC) (Parlement de la)
• Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas ( English Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas , COPA)
• Forum of French-speaking countries of the European Parliament ( fr. Forum des francophones du Parlement européen )
• Benelux Parliamentary Advisory Council ( Benelux Consultative Interparliamentary Council Benelux )
• Pan-American Parliament ( English Pan-African Parliament )
• West African Economic and Monetary Union ( West African Economic and Monetary Union , UEMOA) ^[4]

The Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries includes representatives of parliaments and assemblies that exercise legislative authority in countries or communities that speak French in whole or in part.

Assembly bodies are:

• The Plenary Assembly, the regular sessions of which are held annually. ^[5] 43 sessions held;
• The “Presidium”, which includes from 10 to 18 elected members, representing members of sections, including the Chairman, First Deputy Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and Treasurer. Their term of office ends at the end of the second session, following the one at which they were elected;
• “Permanent Representation of the Presidium”;
• The “General Secretariat”, which operates under the leadership of the Parliamentary “Secretary General”;
• 4 "standing commissions":
  • The “Policy Commission”, which focuses on policy issues and the rule of law in the community of French-speaking countries, relations with institutions of the French-speaking community, general guidelines of the Assembly, as well as other legal issues of its activities; ^[6]
  • The Commission for Education, Communication and Culture, which addresses issues related to the use of the French language in culture, education, training, communications, audiovisual media and in the field of information and communication technologies; ^[7]
  • “Parliamentary Affairs Commission”, which is responsible for studying parliamentary issues of common interest, general guidelines for inter-parliamentary cooperation, legal issues in the field of francophone relations, rights and freedoms, and the development of democracy; ^[eight]
  • The Commission for Cooperation and Development, which addresses issues related to human development (health, population and poverty), sustainable development (environment, energy and agriculture) and economic development from the point of view of cooperation, democracy and solidarity. ^[9]
• “Regional assemblies” that are responsible for carrying out the tasks of the Assembly in a particular regional context;
• "Network of women parliamentarians". ^[ten]

The budget is formed by: contributions from parliaments, which are its members, subsidies to the International Organization of la Francophonie and the French Foreign Ministry. The budget is approved by the Presidium. The Financial Regulations define certain forms of financial management of the Organization and list all the provisions relating to such management.

The official language of the APF is French.

APF works closely with several organizations of the United Nations system, in particular with:

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) ;
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP);
• The Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS);
• World Trade Organization (WTO);
• The World Health Organization (WHO);
• World Bank .

The newspaper Letters to the Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries is published ^[11] 6 times a year and the newsletter Parlements et Francophonie (ancienne Lettre de la Francophonie Parlementaire) (2006-2013, 34 issues published).

• Francophone
• French

• official website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries
• Parliamentary Assembly of French-speaking countries. In: Saidov A. Kh. Inter-Parliamentary Organizations of the World: A Handbook / A. Kh. Saidov. - M.: Intern. relationship, 2004. - p. 138 - 142. ISBN 5-7133-0955-X
• Relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of the French-speaking countries (APF) and the draft agreement on cooperation between UNESCO and this regional parliamentary organization. UNESCO. 170 EX / 30, July 12, 2004