Louise Mushikiwabo, who is seeking reelection as the Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), has pledged to deepen reforms aimed at making the 93-member group more influential, agile and responsive to global challenges. ALSO READ: Paris: Four candidates pitch for top Francophonie job The Rwandan woman, who is campaigning for a third term at the helm of OIF, unveiled her manifesto at an OIF ministerial meeting held in Paris on Thursday, June 30. Her three challengers, Coumba Bâ of Mauritania, Juliana Amato Lumumba of DR Congo and Dacian Cioloș of Romania, also presented their manifestos. Election will take place at the Francophonie Summit in November in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. ALSO READ: Why Louise Mushikiwabo deserves a third term as OIF Secretary-General During her presentation, Mushikiwabo reflected on the reforms undertaken since assuming office in 2019, saying her priority had been to modernise the organisation after its 50th anniversary and position it for the future. She highlighted improvements in governance and financial management, including annual certification of the organisation's accounts since 2019, the consolidation of cooperation programmes from 49 to 20 to maximise impact, decentralisation of projects through external representations, and the establishment of new regional offices in Beirut, Tunis and Quebec. ALSO READ: Rwanda backs Mushikiwabo for third term at Francophonie She also pointed to strengthened political dialogue among member states, expansion of economic partnerships, youth employment initiatives and digital governance programmes, saying the reforms had enabled the organisation to respond collectively to successive global crises. “I am representing myself today because I would like to go even further,” Mushikiwabo told ministers. “I love what I do, and this is a good time for our organisation.” ALSO READ: Mushikiwabo speaks out on prospects of third term at La Francophonie Stronger governance in a changing world Mushikiwabo said if given another chance to lead she would focus on making La Francophonie “a more influential, more solidary space, better governed and aligned to the challenges of its time.” She argued that today's rapidly changing geopolitical landscape requires the organisation to become more agile, noting that conflicts, climate change, health crises, democratic backsliding and the spread of disinformation continue to erode public confidence in institutions. ALSO READ: Mushikiwabo talks priorities in Francophonie rebid To strengthen the organisation's responsiveness, she proposed holding additional meetings of foreign ministers beyond the annual ministerial conference, allowing member states to regularly assess emerging challenges and adjust the organisation's priorities accordingly. “Our organisation must be better equipped to make precise diagnoses and remain agile in this time of competition and scarcity of financial resources for the multilateral world,” she said. ALSO READ: Francophonie Day: Mushikiwabo roots for solidarity to tackle global challenges Dialogue over isolation On political matters, Mushikiwabo pledged to deepen the OIF's evolving approach to constitutional crises by maintaining dialogue with affected member states while upholding the principles of the Bamako Declaration. She said the organisation should continue supporting political transitions through regular engagement instead of relying solely on suspension or reinstatement, arguing that its credibility depends on remaining “a useful interlocutor” for all member states. She also reaffirmed her commitment to strengthening the OIF's role as a bridge between regions and political blocs, saying renewed multilateral cooperation is essential at a time when global alliances are shifting rapidly. ALSO READ: Mushikiwabo urges reimagined approach to women empowerment Expanding programmes with impact A key pillar of her manifesto is scaling up programmes that have already demonstrated measurable results. These include teacher mobility initiatives to strengthen French-language education, La Francophonie avec Elle, which supports women in vulnerable situations, programmes combating disinformation, civil registration projects, sustainable tourism and economic missions. Rather than introducing numerous new initiatives, Mushikiwabo said she would expand successful programmes through stronger partnerships with development banks, international institutions and the private sector. She also pledged to continue promoting Francophone candidates for leadership positions in international organisations to strengthen the bloc's influence in global decision-making. Artificial intelligence, youth and economic opportunities Artificial intelligence is also featured in Mushikiwabo's vision for the next four years. Building on digital governance reforms launched during her previous mandates, she said the organisation must prepare Francophone societies for the AI era by integrating the technology into education, governance, culture, entrepreneurship and employment. Following the Kigali Appel adopted at the 46th ministerial conference held in November 2025, she also committed to making girls' participation in artificial intelligence a cross-cutting priority across the organisation's programmes. “Artificial intelligence is not a subject among others,” Mushikiwabo said. “It is a transversal dimension of all our actions for the years to come.” She also pledged to expand programmes supporting youth employment, entrepreneurship and innovation. She said more than 26,000 young people benefited from OIF initiatives between 2024 and 2026, with many securing employment or launching businesses after completing certified training programmes. On economic cooperation, Mushikiwabo said Francophone business missions launched in 2022 had demonstrated that a shared language can also create economic opportunities, bringing together nearly 2,000 companies from 30 countries and leading to more than 100 commercial agreements. To finance the organisation's growing ambitions, she pledged to diversify funding through greater private-sector partnerships while encouraging fairer contributions from member states. The total OIF budget for the 2024-2027 quadrennium amounts to €270.38 million. “The budget has been stabilised, but stabilising is not enough,” she said. Mushikiwabo highlighted that the OIF has become “stronger, more agile and more effective,” but argued that continued reforms are necessary to preserve its relevance in an increasingly complex world. “Behind every challenge, there are immense opportunities,” she said.
