Cambodia & CPFC : His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea, “showing the French-speaking community that Cambodia is active”

Under the presidency of His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the 7th General Assembly of the Conseil de Promotion de la Francophonie au Cambodge (CPFC) was held on 17 July 2024.

His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during the 7th General Assembly of the Conseil de Promotion de la Francophonie au Cambodge

Attended by His Excellency Jacques Pellet, Ambassador of France to Cambodia, His Excellency Thouane Vorasane, Ambassador of Laos to Cambodia and David Verbiwski, Chargé d'affaires on behalf of the Canadian people, the General Assembly also welcomed a number of Cambodian ministers and governors, as well as players from the private sector, academia and civil society. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the latest Francophonie initiatives in the Kingdom in all sectors, and also to look ahead to the Francophonie Summit in 2026, which Cambodia hopes to host in the provincial town of Siem Reap.

Raising the profile of the French-speaking world: Cambodia to host the Francophonie Summit in 2026

At this 7th General Assembly of the CPFC, His Excellency Jacques Pellet, Ambassador of France to Cambodia, reaffirmed the importance of the diversity and dynamism of the French-speaking world in the Kingdom.

His Excellency Jacques Pellet, Ambassador of France to Cambodia

This dynamism is reflected in the forthcoming Francophonie Summit in 2026, for which the Ambassador announced that diplomatic circles were unanimous in their support for the Kingdom's bid to host the event.

“On 26 June, the Cambodian bid received a standing ovation, and the diplomats present at the meeting told me that Cambodia had received thunderous applause. Far from being a proposal by default, everyone recognised the strength of this bid.”

The bid was made official and validated by the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie, and will probably be ratified at the XIXth Summit of La Francophonie in Paris from 3 to 5 October 2024.

His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea went on to emphasise the purpose of this General Assembly, particularly in terms of preparing and collaborating for the Francophonie Summit in 2026.

“The Council aims to promote the French language while respecting multilingualism, promoting the values of La Francophonie and the plural image of La Francophonie in Cambodia”.

He added:

“This summit is intended to raise Cambodia's profile, with the aim of always and again celebrating La Francophonie, the sharing of its cultural heritage and these values that we have recognised and wish to maintain.”

Indeed, the last and only Francophonie Summit to be held in Asia was in Vietnam in 1997, and as Her Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea noted:

“It's high time, when we talk about the Francophonie and cultural diversity, to think about Asia and not just Europe, Canada or Africa”.

7th General Assembly of the Council for the Promotion of La Francophonie in Cambodia (CPFC)

The 3rd preparatory meeting for the Summit was held on 5 July. On this occasion, the National Coordinating Committee for the preparation of the Summit was set up and signed by the Prime Minister.

In addition, as a candidate country for the 2026 Francophonie Summit, an event to be held in Siem Reap as requested by Prime Minister Hun Manet, the Kingdom will be proposing the theme: "Create, innovate and undertake in French". Two years ago, Cambodia hosted the first mission of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), with an economic and commercial dimension. The theme was designed to ensure that Cambodia would work closely with the OIF in particular. His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea concluded:

“We must continue to work hard, and we hope that Cambodia will be able to honour the trust placed in it by the French-speaking group, by all the member and associate countries. The opportunity is there, let's rise to the occasion.”

Francophonie in Cambodia, a dynamic multilateral collective effort

With a view to the Francophonie Summit in 2026, Jacques Pellet highlighted the deployment of initiatives to promote and support the Francophonie, notably with the support of the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI), where more than 400,000 euros have enabled the Kingdom to undertake numerous initiatives, such as in the field of education, with the sending of 50 French teachers to France for further training.

A desire to promote the Francophonie and consolidate the French-speaking community throughout the Kingdom and its provinces, as was recently the case in Battambang, where the Lycée Preah Monivong was awarded the ‘LabelFrancÉducation’, a label of excellence that rewards the best bilingual sections in the world.

Following on from these remarks, His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea spoke of the importance of cooperation activities with France with certain ministries and representatives of the private sector, but also of his desire to obtain more scholarships for students and to encourage French companies to invest in Cambodia

This dynamism and willingness to cooperate on the part of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was praised by Cyril Girot, President of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Cambodia, who highlighted the driving role played by His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea in promoting the French language and culture in Cambodia.

Finally, according to the French Ambassador to Cambodia:

“The only thing I can guarantee today is the effort we are making. And, thanks to additional financial resources, these efforts will continue in the coming months. We must continue to support bilingual classes and French-speaking courses of study and identify, among ourselves, the sources of Francophonie in the future”.

The importance of the French language was once again underlined by Mr Seng Vannak, Director of the Urban Planning Department of the municipality of Phnom Penh :

Seng Vannak: “French is not just a language, it's a shared value. Phnom Penh is the only Asian city to be a permanent member of the International Association of French-Speaking Mayors (AIMF), chaired by the Mayor of Paris, and Phnom Penh was recently elected Vice-President of this association.”

It's a collective effort that cuts across a wide range of sectors, particularly education, where Cambodian young people are at the forefront of this cooperation, as the representative of Cambodia's Digital Technology Academy pointed out:

“For the past five years, with the support of the French Embassy, we have been co-financing Master's and Doctorate level scholarships to enable Cambodian students to carry out an exchange in France. This agreement will be renewed again this year for a further five years”.

The 7th General Assembly of the Council for the Promotion of Francophonie in Cambodia also called for cooperation from the private and public sectors in setting up projects and events with a view to the Francophonie Summit in 2026. His Excellency SOK Chenda Sophea underlined the Kingdom of Cambodia's strong dynamism and ongoing investment in the Francophonie, with a specific aim:

“To show the French-speaking community in Paris that Cambodia is active”.