On June 5 and 6, the Ministère des Relations internationales, de la Francophonie et du Commerce extérieur hosted the senior representatives of the organizing committee of the next Francophonie Summit, which will take place in Dakar, Senegal in the fall of 2014. The main goal of this mission was to provide the organizers with information to help them start their preparations off on the right foot.
Minister Jean-François Lisée and Jacques Habib Sy, Delegate-General for the organization of the 15th Summit in Dakar (photo MRIFCE)
The Senegalese delegation was led by Jacques Habib Sy, Delegate- General for the organization of the 15th Summit, and also included Penda Mbow, Personal Representative of the President of the Republic of Senegal to the Conseil permanent de la Francophonie, Hamidou Samba Kassé, Chair of the Summit’s Scientific Committee, and Ambassador Mamadou Tall, Diplomatic Advisor to Senegal's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Québec-Senegal partnership
During their visit, they met with Minister Jean François Lisée and specifically discussed the steps that need to be taken to hold the Summit, possible themes and potential partnerships between the Senegalese and Québec governments.
The Senegalese representatives were also invited to a series of three round table discussions on the challenges and issues involved in organizing a Francophonie Summit. The Quebecers who were responsible for organizing the various components of the 2008 Summit in Quebec City shared their experiences and the potentially useful lessons they learned with the organizers of the 2014 Summit.
The following items were specifically discussed: