As la Francophonie approaches its 40th anniversary, the organization, made up of 70 French-speaking states, has hit a rough patch.
The bi-annual summit, which aims to promote the French language and common values among its member states, has moved to Montreux, Switzerland, after it was pushed out of Madagascar this year because of a coup in the former French colony off the east coast of Africa. Its 2010 summit takes place in October.
Plans for the 2012 summit in the Congo are also looking dire. An estimated 3.9 million people have died in a vicious regional war in the former Belgian colony - and the insurgency continues.
Ironically, the troubled nation of Haiti, ravaged by a Jan. 12 earthquake, is creating a new sense of purpose for the Francophonie, its second-highest ranking official said in an interview with The Gazette this week.
"Everything has to be rebuilt," said ClÈment Duhaime, a Quebecer who serves under Secretary-General Abdou Diouf.
The Francophonie was active in Haiti before the earthquake, Duhaime said, with a focus on three priorities: justice, education and culture.
But the physical damage and the loss of lives from the earthquake mean much of that work has to be redone.
While images of the collapsed presidential palace and the 18th-century cathedral are familiar, the quake also took its toll on Haiti's government.
"They lost 18,000" civil servants - about three-quarters of Haiti's total bureaucracy, Duhaime said.
"It's worse than you can imagine," he added.
The Francophonie project to modernize the justice system, financed in part by the Canadian International Development Agency, has to start over, he noted.
The group is also working to improve education, with plans to help train 2.5 million teachers. Reading rooms, which offer Internet access all over the country, are giving students a boost.
While the Francophonie has set aside $6.5 million for its Haiti projects, it's counting on additional funds from CIDA and the European Union. "We are not the World Bank," Duhaime pointed out.
But the Francophonie can further leverage its resources by calling on expertise in its member countries and gaining assistance from its lawyers, judges, university professors, people in cultural industries and project developers - and not just from industrialized countries, Duhaime said.
The West African country of Burkina Faso has created a model for decentralizing government that Haiti could adapt, he noted.
Duhaime added that he has been in touch with the World Bank and Japan's development agency, seeking aid for the Francophonie's efforts.
"Give us the resources," he said.
kdougherty@ thegazette.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
By KEVIN DOUGHERTY, The Gazette
Struggling Francophonie group finds new purpose in ruined nation
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