The annual "Francophonie" summit kicks off on Friday – an opportunity for host-country France to try and bolster its influence in a conflict-ridden world, particularly in Africa. Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby, an ally of France and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the prominent guests.
Dozens of leaders of French-speaking countries gather on Friday and Saturday for the "Francophonie" summit – the first time the event has been held in France for 33 years.
France's sway in Africa has been badly eroded by successive coups in Mali in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023 which saw Paris-friendly governments replaced by juntas who turned to Russia.
Meanwhile the crisis in France's former protectorate Lebanon, which is targeted by daily Israeli bombardment and now a ground incursion as Israel attacks the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, has shown up France's diminished influence in the Middle East.
The summit comes as Macron's standing at home has taken a drubbing after his party lost legislative elections in July, leading him to nominate rightwinger Michel Barnier as head of a minority government.
One of Macron's key guests at the summit is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is himself facing a political crisis after seeing off two no confidence votes in as many weeks.
Macron kicked off a day of bilateral talks on Thursday, meeting Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili, a former French diplomat and staunch opponent of a new law in her country seen as silencing dissent.
The summit will use different venues on each day, with leaders gathering on Friday at a chateau in Villers-Cotterets northeast of Paris where Macron last year inaugurated a centre for the French language. On Saturday, proceedings will move to Paris.
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'A space for mediation, dialogue'
Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) that groups 88 member states, acknowledged that the body had a "modest" influence.
The OIF is not able to "resolve the complicated crises of the world, but can make things move forward," she told France's AFP news agency in an interview.
While key African leaders such as Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi will be present, those of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have not been invited.
A prominent guest is Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby, an ally of France and regular visitor to Paris, whose Sahel nation still hosts French troops even after their departure from Mali, Burkina and Niger.
Guinea has been invited despite its junta under General Mamady Doumbouya taking power in a 2021 coup. A delegation from Lebanon is coming but not its prime minister.
French-speaking bloc examines unrest in Africa
Macron told l'Union newspaper he sees the Francophonie as "a space for mediation", "a space for dialogue to resolve political differences", citing a territorial dispute between the DRC and Rwanda on which he hopes to make progress at the summit.
The OIF's missions are to "promote the French language", "peace, democracy and human rights", "support education" and "develop economic cooperation".
It estimates the number of French speakers at 321 million across five continents, making it the 5th most spoken language in the world.
(with AFP)
