On March 20 of every year, the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) celebrates French language and Francophone culture throughout the world. This date commemorates the signing of the Niamey Convention in Niger on March 20, 1970. It established the Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique and was a precursor to the IOF. There are currently 80 of the IOF's States and governments, across five continents, where French is the first language, where there is a significant association with the culture of France, and where a large section of the population is comprised of French speakers and francophones.
Since 2010, March 20 has been declared as UN French Language Day and celebrated in conjunction with International Francophonie Day. It marked the 40th year since the founding of the IOF. Established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it was a way to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. It was also a way to promote the equal use of six official working languages throughout the United Nations. They are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
Benchmarks:
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There are an estimated 274 million French speakers worldwide
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French is the 9th most widely spoken language on the planet.Together with English, it is the only other language to be spoken on all five continents
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60% of French speakers are under 30 years old
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French is the 3rd most widely used language on the Web
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There are an estimated 900,000 French teachers worldwide
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There are 96.2 million French-speakers in Africa
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French is an official language in 32 member states
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At 16%, French is the 2nd most widely spoken first language in the European Union behind German (23%) but ahead of English (15.9%)
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At 19%, French is the 2nd most widely spoken foreign language in the European Union behind English (41%) but ahead of German (10%) and Spanish (7%)
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TV5MONDE is a multilateral French language television channel with the 3rd largest international television network and is broadcast in 202 countries
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TV5MONDE broadcasts French productions 24 hours a day to an estimated audience of over 220 million homes
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All of the IOF’s members signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child
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The Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie comprises of 78 parliaments or inter-parliamentary organizations
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The Academic Agency of La Francophonie federates 781 establishments for further education and research in 94 countries
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The International Association of Francophone Mayors comprises of cities and city associations from 49 countries
For more information:
http://www.20mars.francophonie.org/
http://www.francophonie.org/Welcome-to-the-International.html