Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF; sometimes shortened to La Francophonie, French: La Francophonie [la fʁɑ̃kɔfɔni], sometimes also called International Organisation of La Francophonie in English) is an international organization representing where there is a notable affiliation with French language and culture.

The organization comprises 93 member states and governments; of these, 56 states and governments are full members, 5 are associate members and 32 are observers. The term francophonie (with a lowercase "f"), or francosphere (often capitalized in English), also refers to the global community of French-speaking peoples, comprising a network of private and public organisations promoting equal ties among countries where French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian people or France, Belgium, Switzerland or Quebec play a significant historical role, culturally, militarily, or politically.

The organization was created in 1970. Most of its founding members and current full members used to be parts of the French colonial empire. Its headquarters is located in Paris, France. Its motto is égalité, complémentarité, solidarité ("equality, complementarity, and solidarity"), a deliberate allusion to France's motto liberté, égalité, fraternité. Starting as a small group of French-speaking countries, the Francophonie has since evolved into a global organization whose numerous branches cooperate with its member states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace. Its mission is to promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, promote peace, democracy and human rights, and support education, research, and cooperative development. It is an observer of the United Nations (UN).