The International Association of French-Speaking Regions restructures its Bureau

Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, officially took office as Chairman of the International Association of French-Speaking Regions (AIRF), member of ORU Fogar, on the occasion of the Management Board meeting held last 17th of May in the Kénitra region, Morocco. The new composition of the AIRF’s Bureau is the consequence of the regional elections held in Morocco and France at the end of 2015, which brought changes in the regionally-elected representatives of both countries.

Organised under the auspices of Abdessamad Sekkal, President of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, the Management Board meeting gathered important political figures from the French-speaking world and members of ORU, like Abdelkébir Berkia, cofounder and Secretary General of the AIRF and Vice-President of ORU, and Jeannot Ahoussou Kouadio, President of the Association of Regions and Districts of Ivory Coast (ARDCI) and president of the Bélier region, as well as some thirty regional leaders from 10 francophone countries.  

During the meeting, Laurent Wauquiez presented the new strategic orientations of the AIRF for 2016, some of the main ones being the recognition of the role of regions and the strategic importance of decentralisation for the development of territories, as well as the promotion of the economic interests of regions.  He also created 4 work groups that will be led by the Bélier region, Ivory Coast (“Decentralisation, governance and recognition of the regions’ role”), the Rabat Salé Kénitra region (“Economic development”), the Kaolack region, Senegal (“Culture and French language”) and the Tunisian Government (“Youth, training, job placement, youth employment and equality”).

The Management Board adopted the decision of organising the AIRF’s next General Assembly in Kinasha, capital de Democratic Republic of Congo in early December 2016. 

Source: AIRF

Image: Franck Trabouillet, AIRF