In a major departure from past diplomatic procedures, the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie convened in Paris on June 29, 2026, to conduct the first-ever public hearings for candidates seeking the office of Secretary-General of the International Organization of the Francophonie. The Principality of Monaco was represented at the summit by Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, alongside Valerie Bruell-Melchior, Monaco’s Ambassador and Personal Representative to the organization. Presided over by Sokhon Prak, Cambodia’s Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegations interviewed four candidates vying to lead the institution for the 2027-2030 term: Dr. Coumba Ba of Mauritania, Dacian Cioloș of Romania, Juliana Amato Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda, the incumbent Secretary-General who has held the office since 2019.
This unprecedented audition process stems from a comprehensive procedural reform adopted in 2022, shifting the selection toward an open call for candidates. Since the position's inception at the 1997 Hanoi Summit - first held by Boutros Boutros-Ghali - the role had historically been decided without such formalized hearings. The next Secretary-General will be officially elected by the full Heads of State and Government members when they gather in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the XXe Francophonie Summit on November 15 and 16, 2026. For Monaco and its fellow member states, the Paris auditions mark a critical modernization step for an institution that coordinates diplomatic and cultural policy across the French-speaking world.
Photo Credit: Government of Monaco Instagram