Sommet de La Francophonie was held in Paris for two consecutive days, and around 100 leaders were invited.
Member of the Labour Party, Melissa Skerrit, recently attended the 19th Sommet de La Francophonie 2024 in Paris. The summit was held for two days, that is on October 4 and 5, to celebrate the pride of the French language. She represented Dominica and addressed several important aspects of Dominica. Several other leaders from different countries were also invited to attend the summit.
France launched the 19th Francophonie summit, in which around 100 states and government representatives were invited. The theme for this year’s summit was “Making a Better World.” The Inaugural ceremony was held at the Cité Internationale de la Langue Française. On October 5, the summit was held at Grand Palais. Important elements of discussion were innovation, entrepreneurship, youth engagement, economic and geopolitics, and lingual and cultural diversity.
Melissa Skerrit took to her social media and shared her gratitude for the invitation. She thanked President Macron and the First Lady Brigitte Macron. She wrote, “Thank you President Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron for inviting us to the Sommet de La Francophonie. It was our absolute pleasure!”
At the summit, she had the chance to meet prominent world leaders like the President of Canada, Justine Trudeau. She also met Baroness Patricia Janet Scotland. Patricia Janet Scotland is a Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom.
“I had the privilege of getting to network with several heads of state from around the world, including President Trudeau, and our own Honorable Baroness Patricia Scotland,” she added.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Melissa Skerrit, advocated for urban development and housing that clearly aligns with this year’s theme. Recently, in her Budget 2024 speech, she focused on housing facilities. She said that the ministry is launching several housing projects that will benefit the citizens.
While promoting collaboration with French-speaking nations, Melissa Skerrit ensured that issues like development, education, and women empowerment should be addressed. The minister has been involved in various initiatives in Dominica. Her foundation has been an active organization that promotes back-to-school essentials for children. Recently, the foundation donated schooling essentials for the 2024-2025 academic years. The Minister addressed several important issues that will help to improve relationships among different countries.
Francophonie is celebrated for the promotion of the French language and culture. It also allows leaders to improve relations with French-speaking countries. The summit discussed economic support and sustainable development. As 321 million speakers across the world speak French, the summit helped to develop the connection between all these people.
