Full Transcript in English: Juliana Amato Lumumba's Hearing for OIF Secretary-General (47th Extraordinary CMF) Questions & Answers
Opening Statement by Juliana Amato Lumumba
Thank you, Mr. President of the session. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen members of the jury, dear friends of the Francophonie.
Before speaking to you about my program, I would like to tell you what brings me before you. I am Congolese, I am African. My history taught me very early on that one can belong deeply to one’s country while being open to several worlds.
My name carries a memory. However, I do not come before you only with a name, but with experience, responsibility, and conviction. When I was a child, Egypt became for my family a land of welcome, protection, and fraternity. My father, Patrice Émery Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of Congo in 1960, knowing he was going to be assassinated, was looking for a place to secure his wife and children.
He asked President Sékou Touré, who told him: “Ah, my brother, this is not the best place for security.” He asked President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who gave him the same response. They told him: “Listen, the best answer for us is Egypt, under President Gamal Abdel Nasser.” The Egyptian president accepted.
My father agreed to send his wife and children. What is extraordinary is that the two men had never met, yet they knew each other. They shared the same values: total independence, national sovereignty, African solidarity, and unity among peoples.
I am the product of this fraternity. I am the product of this African solidarity. Not only did we arrive in Egypt — we were exfiltrated by the Egyptian army under a UN mandate. The general of the UN armed forces at the time was Moroccan. The soldiers at the airport were Egyptian and Swedish. We had real fake Egyptian passports. My older brother François was Tariq, Patrice was Omar, and I was Fatma. That is how we arrived in Egypt. President Gamal Abdel Nasser was like an uncle to us. We were his adopted children.
When we were there, we told the Egyptian ambassador who exfiltrated us, Mr. Abdelaziz — whom we called Papi, a man of Muslim faith: “Mr. Abdelaziz, you are going to make very good Muslims out of them.” He replied: “Never. Their father gave them to me as Christians; they will remain Christians.”
This is to tell you that I am also the product of respect for the culture of the other in which I grew up. I learned French in Egypt, at the Notre-Dame-des-Apôtres school, which still exists. I learned Arabic, and I speak the official languages of my country. This plurilingualism is a wealth that allows me to build bridges between peoples.
I grew up between languages, cultures, and sensitivities. I chose to serve my country as Vice-Minister of Information and Culture, then as Minister of Culture and the Arts. These responsibilities taught me that culture is not a supplement to the soul, but a force for cohesion, dignity, peace, and influence.
As Secretary General of the African Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture, and Professions in Cairo, I discovered the other face of our continent — that of entrepreneurs, dynamic women, its youth, its creators, and its diasporas. This is how I saw our potential.
Nevertheless, I cannot help but note what holds us back: administrative barriers, economic borders, unequal access to knowledge, mobility difficulties, and the still too limited circulation of our talents. My history nourishes my conviction that dialogue, peace, and dignity are the only sustainable foundations for the future.
I carry a simple and strong vision: a Francophonie turned toward the peoples. A Francophonie turned toward the peoples is one whose impact is visible in daily life — at school, in employment, in mobility, in access to digital technology, in culture, in peace, and in citizen participation.
It is not limited to summits and declarations. It produces services, opportunities, and results. Concrete impact must become the main criterion for Francophone action and the measure of its credibility.
I want a Francophonie that speaks to citizens, responds to their concrete expectations, strengthens local capacities, and associates youth, women, local authorities, and diasporas in defining priorities.
A Francophonie capable of becoming, in the 21st century, not only a space for cooperation between States, but also a true global community of solidarity, collective intelligence, human creativity, and peace among peoples. Concretely, this means a Francophonie that strengthens its international influence.
We must better coordinate our actions, speak with a stronger voice in multilateral forums, and mobilize more public and private partners to support our ambitions. The Francophonie must be a strategic actor capable of weighing in on the major issues of our time. Furthermore, it must fully assume its political role, which implies impartial democratic vigilance, active crisis prevention, and constant commitment to human rights and human security.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen members of the jury. The future of our space depends on our ability to train, connect, and accompany talents. Education, vocational training, academic mobility, and digital innovation must become cross-cutting, structuring, and visible priorities.
What are my commitments?
First, I commit to creating intercultural encounters. I want a Francophonie that recognizes the pluralities of histories, values identities, soothes wounded memories, and transforms diversity into a force for cohesion. It does not seek to erase the tensions of the past but to create the conditions for respectful dialogue between peoples.
I therefore propose the creation of a Biennale of Francophone Intercultural Encounters because we have such diversity and richness. The Biennale will be built around:
A Summit of Francophone Cultures
A World Market of Cultural and Creative Industries
A Universal Exhibition of Francophone Arts
A major Salon of Digital and Technological Innovations
A Festival of Culinary Heritages
A Carnival of Musics and Popular Traditions
I also commit to the valorization of sister languages — the languages through which we speak: Lingala, Swahili, Bambara, Khmer, Monégasque, Creole, Dutch, and all the languages spoken in this room. But the language that unites us is French. It is the language that connects us, the language through which we speak.
When we valorize our sister languages — the vectors of our identities — we also strengthen French. For me, French is the pivot language. It is not a language of domination. In our case, it is a language that connects us, the language of knowledge and innovation.
Sixty-five percent of French speakers are in Africa. Africa is very young, and youth is the heart of the Francophonie. This is Generation Z — the digital generation. In the 21st century, it is unacceptable that even one young person remains offline.
This youth — whether in France, Timbuktu, Phnom Penh, or Dakar — wants to participate in the development of their country. Yet in some Francophone countries we still face a digital divide. This youth needs training, and it is through digital tools that we can reduce this divide via accelerated digital training.
When we talk about digital for the development of our Francophone States, basic education comes first. Unfortunately, when education is not free, young girls are often marginalized. But through digital applications, we can provide literacy and schooling to these girls, even in the most remote areas. It is vital that they not only learn to read and write but acquire training that allows them to become financially autonomous tomorrow.
It is also important to promote mobility. When I speak of a more solidarity-based, more inclusive Francophonie closer to the people, we must enable these young people who need training, these girls who need school, and these entrepreneurs who need investors to move, talk, and dialogue. We can work together and build together.
Mobility is one of the most concrete instruments of Francophone solidarity. It must benefit doctoral students, researchers, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, and young professionals, while respecting the sovereign competencies of States.
The objective is to facilitate exchanges, partnerships, professional pathways, and the circulation of skills without creating uniform obligations for member States. A progressive, non-binding Francophone mobility mechanism strengthens belonging, youth employability, innovation, and cooperation between Francophone societies.
Today, an immense change stands before us: artificial intelligence. I do not believe we should fear it, but it would be dangerous to simply suffer it. AI is already transforming schools, administrations, jobs, cultural creation, and the economy. The school of tomorrow will not be without teachers, nor will it ignore artificial intelligence. It will be a school where the teacher remains at the heart of transmission but has tools that help them teach better.
I want young people in our countries to learn the basics of digital technology, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and content creation — even with just a phone, a weak connection, and limited infrastructure.
The real question is this: In this new world, will French be a language that produces knowledge, invents, programs, and decides — or will it become a language that is merely translated after the fact? I do not want a Francophonie that discovers technologies when they are already designed elsewhere.
I want a Francophonie capable of preparing its young people, protecting its data, valorizing its languages, and fully participating in the creation of tomorrow’s tools. I therefore propose to the States and bodies a Francophone Alliance for Artificial Intelligence and Languages. Its concrete objective will be to develop content, data, translation tools, and voice transcription that better understand our accents, expressions, institutions, and realities.
I also wish to establish a Francophone Climate Pact. Many Francophone States are on the front line of climate change effects, yet often have limited capacities for adaptation, risk prevention, and mobilizing financial resources.
A Francophone Climate Pact would structure concrete solidarity around adaptation, training for sustainable cities, resilient agriculture, forest preservation, and access to climate finance. It would allow discussion of concrete measures to facilitate access by OIF member States to climate financing.
With the Institut de la Francophonie pour le développement durable, the Francophonie can bring added value by linking climate, language, expertise, and technical cooperation.
Before continuing, I wish to clarify that my candidacy is not against any State or any person. Madam Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo has legitimately exercised her two mandates. She now embodies a chapter in the history of the Francophonie that I respect.
The Francophonie is not a place for diplomatic confrontation — that would be contrary to its values. I propose a revitalization of a more solidarity-based, more inclusive Francophonie turned toward the peoples.
Beyond the Rwanda-DRC conflict that is often highlighted, there are other conflicts within Francophone States: the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, the tragedy in Lebanon, and what is happening in Gaza. The Francophonie is not the place for conflicts, but we cannot pretend not to see what is happening. It is imposed on us.
I propose the creation of the Francophone Academy of Peace and Well-being. This academy will train young mediators, dialogue experts, and conflict prevention specialists — women and men capable of helping their societies fight violence.
The Francophonie must be a protective organization for the peace and well-being of our peoples — a space for dialogue capable of extinguishing the embers before the fire takes hold. I am pleased to announce that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has adopted this proposal and endowed it with a budget of ten million dollars.
Finally, I commit to optimizing the effectiveness of the OIF through clearer priorities, better coordination of operators, simplification of procedures, rigorous monitoring and evaluation, and concentration of resources on high-impact programs. I want a more agile, coherent organization that is closer to citizens.
We must strengthen accountability toward member States and highlight the positive effects of each program in the lives of Francophone peoples. I commit to making the Charter of the Francophonie my compass, the Bamako Declaration our democratic requirement, and the Saint-Boniface Declaration our guide for prevention, mediation, and peace.
I want to be very clear: the Francophonie must act with the States, never against them. I am not promising miracles in one day. I am offering a method of coherence and results.
The Secretary General does not succeed alone. Their role is to coordinate, propose, bring together, and report — with the States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, the operators of the Francophonie (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, TV5Monde, Agence internationale des maires francophones, Senghor University), and the Francophone ministerial conferences (Education; Youth and Sports).
I want to better link programs, avoid duplications, and make results visible for the peoples. I want a productive and mobile Francophone economy. Our young people must be able to create businesses, find mentors, access markets, present projects to investors, and develop applications without feeling that the borders of the Francophone space enclose them.
With chambers of commerce, incubators, local authorities, development banks, and diasporas, we can circulate more skills, ideas, and opportunities — from Kinshasa to Montreal, Dakar to Paris, Port-au-Prince to Rabat, Kigali to Phnom Penh. The Francophonie must be a space where one can imagine, produce, and cooperate.
Finally, I intend to engage in high-level dialogue to regularize arrears and convince member States of the importance of their financial commitment. We must increase voluntary contributions as well as earmarked contributions according to the respective interests of States. We will call on the private sector, development banks, and multilateral actors to set up joint high-impact projects.
Excellency, the Francophonie needs leadership that brings together, soothes, and transforms — leadership rooted in history but turned toward the future.
Our diversity is our strength. Long live the Francophonie of the peoples, and long live solidarity among peoples.
Thank you.
Questions and Answers
Ambassador of Laos (representing Asia):
How do you intend to mobilize the resources and funds necessary to implement your vision and program, as well as respond to the growing expectations of Francophone populations — particularly in sustainable development, education, innovation, and the promotion of cultural diversity and the French language?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
Thank you. You are right — everything I have said is very nice, but this program needs funding. There are the classic sources: statutory contributions and voluntary contributions. But there is also an important lever: the cultural and creative industries, which generate as much revenue as the arms industry.
These industries include films, streaming, music, translation, cartoons, books, and more. What matters is ensuring that content is Francophone. If we do this properly, we can work with private banks and development banks to secure more funding to implement most of these programs.
We also plan to work in greater collaboration with member States. When programs are designed and coordinated with the Francophonie and produce thematic effects that concern them, States will be able to contribute more. This way we can advance in digital, education, women’s empowerment, and climate.
I don’t know if I answered your question.
Ambassador of Tunisia:
As a founding country deeply attached to the efficiency of our organization and to multilateralism, Tunisia wishes to be enlightened on your vision regarding the means to encourage the three countries that withdrew from the OIF in 2025 to re-establish contact and ultimately regain their place. What political and diplomatic initiative would you undertake to avoid over-politicization of the OIF mandate, so that the organization focuses first on its fundamental mission of strengthening multiculturalism and the French language as a vector of cohesion, cooperation, economic development, and rapprochement — in respect of State sovereignty and the guiding principles of our organization?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
You are asking what I intend to do to bring back those who left? We are talking about the Sahel States? Yes. I find this very worrying and serious. The Francophonie and our Francophone States must grow; we must not lose members.
It is very important to go there with dialogue and listening. Personally, I know that the presidents of these States regard my father, Patrice Lumumba, as an icon. I am sure that if I go — and I intend to go — they will receive me. I will listen. We will dialogue and talk to understand their real concerns and why they left.
Through dialogue we can find progressive solutions for their return. What is important for me is that we must never cut off dialogue. We must keep open channels with civil society and local populations. It is about dialogue and respect.
When the time comes and conditions allow, we can develop projects with the populations — in education, women’s empowerment, and climate change, which is a very serious issue in many Sahel countries.
Vice-Minister of Egypt:
If you are elected Secretary General, what is the first subject on your list of priorities, and how do you see the political role of the OIF in an increasingly fragile multilateral system facing financial, political, and security challenges?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
What is important for me is to hold consultations with member countries and governments for the 2027–2030 quadrennial programming. It is essential that member States have a say in the programming of themes and programs, so that it becomes more concerted cooperation with priorities that matter to them and to the Francophonie.
With this coordination we can have programs with real impact and accountability. We must know why we are here and whether programs truly affect people’s lives — through monitoring and evaluation. This is important not only for the General Secretariat but also for member States having a voice. Changing the programmatic axis for 2027–2030 would be my first major action.
Regarding the second part: the security dimension is very important. Conflicts exist even within the Francophonie, and they must find solutions inside it. This should not be left to a single country. That is why I proposed the Francophone Academy of Peace — to analyze conflicts, train mediators and experts in prevention and resolution, working with regional agencies, actors on the ground, and the United Nations.
The Francophonie is not there to replace the UN or the EU. It is about better cooperation in a world where power relations are brutal and common norms are being questioned. The DRC government has already adopted the Academy proposal and allocated ten million dollars in its next budget. We already have a tool ready.
Ambassador of Lebanon:
How will you ensure that the principle of solidarity at the heart of the Francophone project finds concrete translation in OIF action toward the most fragile countries? How do you envisage transforming this solidarity into a more structured and operational mechanism allowing experienced member States to share best practices in crisis management (political, economic, security, health, humanitarian) and strengthen collective capacities across the Francophone space?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
We need greater training and stronger connections. I advocate for international Francophone content. We are not at war with anyone, but we must strengthen the use of French alongside our national languages.
Having traveled extensively, I know we are proud of our languages — Swahili, Lingala, Khmer, Arabic, and others. But especially our youth — 65% of young French speakers — want to speak French and connect in French. It is vital that data, content, and translation exist in French, and that we train young people digitally in the language they want to use.
French is a language of knowledge, connection, and linkage. This is also a digital sovereignty issue. Training in digital and AI must happen in French. This will occur through mobility — for researchers, professors, teachers, and doctoral students. Mobility is not a constraint; it will come through the will of peoples who share common problems they want to solve together.
The Francophonie must be the place where we find concrete solutions. A few years ago Haiti sent French teachers to the DRC — not only bilateral but community-level cooperation. We have seen Czech doctors go to Lebanon. Greater mobility and solidarity allow us to speak the same language and solve problems together as Francophones. This makes us more inclusive and ensures our programs have real impact on populations.
Personal Representative of the Prime Minister of Canada:
The development of the economic Francophonie is a priority for Canada. We want to create an environment favorable to investment, trade, and innovation between member States by relying on our common language and values. What is your vision for the economic Francophonie so that it generates concrete results, and how do you intend to implement it if elected?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
I spoke earlier about statutory contributions and the need to increase them. The Secretary General must personally engage to collect arrears. I also spoke about voluntary and targeted contributions — when programs interest countries, they contribute more generously.
But I especially emphasized the cultural and creative industries. These generate as much revenue as armaments. It is not because I was Minister of Culture that I say this — I know it. Films, streaming, music, cartoons, and video games are tools within our reach, but we must structure them so they can attract responses from private banks and development banks.
When we talk about cultural industries, we need private and multilateral partners who understand how film catalogs or music content can be translated into money. This work must be done at the Francophonie level to make it clearer for banks and development partners so we can increase project financing.
Ambassador of Bulgaria:
You evoked the Francophonie of the peoples. How do you strengthen the link between the institutional Francophonie and the Francophonie of the peoples, and how do you strengthen exchanges and cooperation between countries from different continents of the Francophone space?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
The Francophonie of the peoples includes not only States but communities. Through the Francophone intercultural encounters and biennales I proposed, people talk, dialogue, and connect. Listening to the other and seeing the other are important — it is not just about tolerating but about truly connecting.
These biennales will include a Summit of Francophone Cultures, a World Market of Cultural and Creative Industries, a Universal Exhibition of Francophone Arts, and a major Salon of Digital Innovation. These become meeting places where creators, women, youth, entrepreneurs, and communities from different countries come together, talk, see each other, and create together.
This will not happen in one day. The biennale will be organized with member States and communities to maximize impact. It is about more solidarity, more inclusivity, more unity. Our diversity is extraordinary — we have no other space with such richness. It is also a formidable non-conflictual multilateral force that we should use better.
You may be Albanian, I am from Congo. You speak your language, I speak Lingala or Swahili, but our common language today is French — a language that connects, through which we communicate and innovate, with mutual respect and listening. This allows us to rise and recover the dignity the fathers of the Francophonie envisioned.
Ambassador of Cape Verde:
What is your vision for improving the effectiveness of OIF multilateral cooperation, particularly in favor of the most vulnerable countries, including small island developing states?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
In the OIF there are no small countries and large countries. We may be a country of over 100 million inhabitants or Andorra with 40,000, but when we vote we each have one voice. That calls for humility.
Regarding countries like Cape Verde, I spoke about the climate pact because these countries are fragile due to climate change. I advocated working much more with the Institut francophone de développement durable — not only to find climate financing but also solutions for sustainable cities, resilient agriculture, and protecting life.
Within the Francophonie there are countries very advanced in the fight against climate change with excellent programs. We can approach them and find joint solutions. We must also address desertification (for example in Chad and Congo) and the security problems it creates with transhumant populations inside countries.
We have challenges regarding climate and security. We must reflect and work together inside the Institut francophone de développement durable and the Academy of Peace, while always cooperating with the United Nations, European Union, and other regional organizations.
Ambassador of Belgium:
You have already answered several questions I wanted to ask, to my satisfaction. I therefore pass my turn so others may question you.
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
Thank you for your non-question.
Ambassador of Switzerland:
I have a question on artificial intelligence, which you rightly highlighted. In terms of governance and multilateralism — with Geneva as a world hub for digital diplomacy governance — what role do you see for the OIF, and what resources can it mobilize to guarantee a place for French in digital technologies and artificial intelligence?
Juliana Amato Lumumba:
Artificial intelligence is already here and is transforming administrations, schools, and everything. We must integrate it — we should not fear it. It is important to integrate AI into our schools and universities. We must prepare young people, protect data, develop Francophone content and data, and create translation and voice transcription tools that understand our accents, expressions, institutions, and realities.
We must prepare young people to protect their data, valorize languages, and participate in creating tomorrow’s tools. Training in AI and digital data is vital because it is their generation. We must help them become experts in digital and Francophone cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and content creation.
It is very important to have international content in French. This can even attract Francophone investments in entrepreneurship. When we train young people in Francophone cybersecurity and digital, we put ourselves in a position not to suffer what happens with AI in other languages. We must prepare, anticipate, plan, connect, and organize. This is how we stay up to date in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Closing by the Chair
We are now reaching the end of this hearing. I know there are still participants on the list who would like to ask questions, but unfortunately our time is up. I thank you for these exchanges, Mrs. Lumumba, and wish you a good end of the day.