Switzerland reaffirms support for Francophonie on 30th anniversary

Baume-Schneider and Mushikiwabo, pictured together in March, met again in Bern on Thursday to mark 30 years of Swiss membership in La Francophonie. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Culture Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider met Louise Mushikiwabo, the secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, in Bern on Thursday to mark 30 years of membership of the country in that organisation.

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During the meeting, the two ministers emphasised the need to support an organisation that is “useful and effective”. On the sidelines of the celebrations, they talked of their shared interest in maintaining an organisation that is effective, relevant and useful to its 90 member states and governments.

In her speech, Baume-Schneider stated that for Switzerland, the Francophonie constitutes a privileged platform for dialogue and influence. “For the Francophonie, Switzerland brings its unique experience in federalism, linguistic co-existence, mediation and the search for consensus.” According to her, the French language is a “vehicle for dialogue between peoples, cultures and continents”.

Since joining the organisation in 1996, Switzerland has regarded the Francophonie as a “privileged forum for dialogue, capable of promoting democracy, peace and human rights through linguistic diversity and a plurality of ideas”, the interior ministry said in a press release.

For the year 2026, Switzerland’s statutory contribution to the Francophonie amounts to CHF4.1 million ($5.2 million), making it the third-largest contributor after France and Canada.

According to the 2026 report from the Observatory of the French Language, 396 million people speak the language of Molière worldwide.

Translated from French with AI/gw

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