International Francophonie Day (french: Journée internationale de la Francophonie) is
observed
Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data (information), data via the use of scienti ...
within the
International Organization of La Francophonie's 77 member states every
March 20
Events Pre-1600
* 673 – Emperor Emperor Tenmu, Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Asuka, Yamato#Imperial Palaces, Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka, Yamato, Asuka.
*1206 – Michael IV of Constantinople, Michael IV Au ...
to celebrate the French language and
Francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
culture. There are over 369 million French speakers on Earth.
Created in 1988, the date celebrates the signing of the Niamey Convention in
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[British colonies
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...](_blank)
, the French established
French colonies
From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over , the second largest empire in the world at the time behind only the Spanish Empire. During the 19th and 20th centuri ...
. This led to the cultural and lingual spread in the regions which they established the colonies.
According to the Canadian then-minister for La Francophonie
Steven Blaney
Steven Blaney (born April 8, 1965) is a Canadian businessman and Conservative politician. He served as the Minister of Public Safety Canada (July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015) and previously as the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister o ...
's speech in 2013, the International Francophonie Day is to "celebrate our commitment to not only the French language and the rich and diverse francophone culture but also the values of peace,
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
and respect for
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
that unite all members of the International Organization of La Francophonie".
See also
*
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...
*
References
External links
*
International language observances
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
March observances
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