Agence universitaire de la Francophonie

Agence universitaire de la Francophonie
Motto Donnons toutes ses chances à l'excellence
Formation 13 September 1961
Type Francophone network
Headquarters Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Membership
812 university associations[1]
Official language
French
Leader France Jean-Paul de Gaudemar (since 2015)
Budget
41,100,000 (2013)[2]
Website http://www.auf.org

The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) (Francophone University Association) is a global network of French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Founded in Montreal, Canada in 1961 as the Association des Universités Partiellement ou Entièrement de Langue Française (AUPELF),[3] the AUF is a multilateral institution supporting co-operation and solidarity among French-speaking universities and institutions. It operates in the French-speaking countries of Africa, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. The AUF has 812 members (public and private universities, institutes of higher education, research centers and institutions, institutional networks, and networks of university administrators) distributed throughout francophone countries. It is active in 104 countries,[4] and represented by regional offices and information centers on campuses and in institutes. The Association receives funding from La Francophonie, and its headquarters are located at the Université de Montréal.

History

Origins

In 1959, Jean-Marc Léger (Canadian journalist at Le Devoir) and André Bachand (public-relations director at the University of Montreal) voiced the idea of a world-wide organisation which would create a link between French-speaking universities. On 13 September 1961 in Montreal, some 150 representatives of the French-speaking world created the foundation of what would become Association des Universités Partiellement ou Entièrement de Langue Française (AUPELF),[5] French for the "Association of Partially or Entirely French-speaking Universities."

Expansion

In 1987 during the heads of state summit in Quebec, an "exchange university" project was implemented under the name UREF (Université des Réseaux d'Expression Français, University French Expression Networks). Its purpose was to create a university network for research and education. In November 1993, AUPELF became AUPELF-UREF. In April 1998 in Beirut, AUPELF-UREF became the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie.[6]

Reforms

To answer the Moncton action plan's request, the AUF undertook reforms in three fields in 1999:

In 2005 the AUF endowed a four-year program to meet the goals and priorities of the decennial strategic agreement of the institutional French-speaking world. This agreement, adopted in 2004 by member states of the French-speaking world, sets the principles and strategies of the institutional French-speaking world and controls its activities.[7]

Structure

The association is composed of seven bodies:

Activities

The primary activities of the AUF are distributed among four scientific administrations,[8] each aiming at a specific goal. These four branches are:

Partnerships

The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie has developed partnerships with three objectives:[9]

AUF numbers among its partners the European Union, UNESCO and the World Bank.[10] It has been requested to assist in:

Publishing

In 2001, the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie facilitated the creation of electronic French-language science journals.[11] Francophone digital campuses were created to support the development of TIC (technologies of information and communication). AUF conducts workshops on the presentation and publication of scientific articles.[12] Financial support is available for selected projects.

AUF worldwide

The AUF's education office and headquarters are in Montreal; central services and a second education office are in Paris. Regional offices have been established in Montreal, Port-au-Prince, Dakar, Yaoundé, Antananarivo, Hanoï, Beirut, Brussels and Bucharest.[13]

Golden anniversary

2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie. To mark the occasion AUF promoted the Francophonie throughout the year with events devoted to "50 years of the Agency", celebrating its role as an academic agent of the French-speaking scientific community.

Networks

Research

Institutional

See also


References

External links

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