REPORT

The parliamentary delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) has the honour to present its report on its parliamentary mission to New York, United States, on September 20, 2023. The Canadian delegation was composed of M.P. Francis Drouin, President of the APF and Chair of the Canadian Branch, as well as Executive Secretary Julie Pelletier.

BACKGROUND

On January 31, 2023, the APF Bureau asked APF President Francis Drouin to take steps to obtain observer status for the association at the United Nations (UN). A delegation from the Canadian Branch of the APF went to New York for a fact-finding mission in March 2023, and President Drouin delivered remarks at the meeting of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors to the UN in June 2023.

PARLIAMENTARY MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

The High-Level Week of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly was held in New York from September 18–22 and brought together leaders of member countries for key events such as the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, the Climate Ambition Summit and the General Debate. The APF took advantage of the week’s events to travel to New York on September 20 with a view to consolidating the support of French-speaking states for the APF’s candidacy. During the mission, the delegation had the opportunity to meet with Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bodgan Aurescu; Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Aminata Tall Sall; the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, Pascale Baeriswyl; and Cameroon Senator Pierre Flambeau Ngayap. The APF President explained the reasons behind the APF’s efforts and encouraged them to support the association. Mr. Drouin also spoke with Béatrice Maillé, Minister-Counsellor (Legal, Social Affairs and Human Rights) and Legal Advisor to the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, about the various timelines involved in such a request.

In addition, on the sidelines of the 78th Session and at the invitation of the Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, Mr. Drouin participated in the 3rd edition of the francophone event “En français s’il vous plait” [“In French, please”]. The event brought together foreign affairs ministers, senior officials from the United Nations and regional organizations, ambassadors and members of New York’s French-speaking academic, diplomatic and civil society circles. The presence of the President of the APF was an opportunity to raise awareness of the APF among influential figures and explain the association’s efforts to obtain observer status at the UN General Assembly.

The APF President also attended the High-Level Dialogue on the Initiative Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations, launched by Canada on February 15, 2021. The event, also held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, aimed to strengthen solidarity and equip partner countries to put an end to this practice. The dialogue was co-hosted by the Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and her counterparts Antony Blinken (United States), Nancy Tembo (Malawi) and Arnoldo André Tinoco (Costa Rica). Their remarks were followed by those who have been arbitrarily detained: Michael Kovrig, a political analyst and former diplomat and Jason Rezaian, a journalist, as well as an expert in international law: Amal Clooney, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. The presence of the APF President supported the objectives of the APF’s 2023–2030 strategic framework, which requires the association to intensify and diversify its diplomatic efforts and emphasize the importance of ensuring parliamentarians’ safety.

Mr. Drouin had the opportunity to discuss with Cécile Martin-Phipps, Director of the Institut de la Francophonie pour le développement durable (IFDD). Together, they discussed the joint report that the APF had just released in collaboration with the IFDD on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the French-speaking world.

Respectfully submitted,

Mr. Francis Drouin, M.P.

President of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie

Chair, Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie