Held for the first time in the country, the session marks a historic moment for Rwanda, which has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) since its founding in 1970.
The meeting takes place under the theme 'Thirty Years After Beijing: The Role of Women in the Francophone World,' coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women, whose Action Plan continues to shape global standards for women's rights and gender equality.
In her opening remarks, Chief Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, representing the Government of Rwanda, expressed 'the pride of Rwanda in hosting for the first time one of the high governing bodies of La Francophonie.'
She highlighted the significance of this year's theme, noting that the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted in 1995, continues to stand, thirty years on, as the most forward-looking global framework for promoting women's rights and gender equality.
Highlighting global challenges such as ongoing conflicts, the climate crisis, socio-economic inequalities, and gender-based violence, she stressed the need for strong political will to safeguard hard-won progress and to build more inclusive societies.
She pointed to Rwanda's own experience, noting that after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the country chose to rebuild by placing women at the heart of its transformation.
Mukantaganzwa noted that women have since played a decisive role in the justice sector.
'Nearly half of all judges are women. In the Gacaca courts, they played a determining role in truth-seeking and reconciliation, and today they represent half of the community mediators and community workers active across the country,' she emphasised.
France's Delegate Minister for Francophonie, Éléonore Caroit, praised Rwanda's leadership and stated that the Francophonie, bound by a shared language, embodies values of openness and practical cooperation.
She noted that this format often proves more effective for building bridges than many mechanisms currently at a standstill. Caroit expressed confidence that the two days of discussions would produce tangible outcomes and commended Rwanda's engagement.
In her address, Secretary-General of La Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo underscored the central theme of the conference, questioning whether societies have fully recognised 'the fundamental role women must play in social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.'
She noted that the world still struggles to 'clearly and fully recognise the rights and value of half its population,' adding with humour that this half may well be 'the better half.'
Mushikiwabo also addressed the state of global governance, describing the multilateral system as 'a model that is running out of steam,' increasingly unable to respond to international crises and 'disconnected from realities on the ground.' She said this context would guide ministers' closed-door discussions on the question: 'What ambitions for the OIF in the reshaping of the international landscape?'
Reviewing progress since the 2024 CMF in Paris, Mushikiwabo noted the Organisation's support to member States through electoral assistance missions and its 'high-impact campaigns' against disinformation in Lebanon, Moldova and the Central African Republic.
She also emphasised efforts to support Francophone candidates for leadership positions in international bodies including the African Union, the African Development Bank and UNESCO.
She highlighted programmatic achievements such as the mobility initiative for French teachers, which brought a third cohort of 50 educators from 15 countries to Kigali to exchange expertise with Rwandan counterparts.
Recent deployments to Ghana and Seychelles were noted, with Cambodia next. Mushikiwabo also pointed to the strengthening of the Francophonie économique, citing successful missions like the one to Benin, which resulted in several contracts, including one worth €30 million.
Reaffirming the OIF's commitment to gender equality, she called for increased support to the 'Francophonie With Women' fund and invited member States to join a new initiative focused on training and integrating girls and women in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
She paid tribute to Rwanda's progress, noting that women hold 61 percent of parliamentary seats, the highest rate in the world and far above the global average of 26.4%.
She also highlighted that five of Rwanda's seven major banks are headed by women, many of them young. Mushikiwabo added that other regions in the Francophone world are also advancing, citing Vietnam where '98 percent of girls complete primary school and 87 percent complete secondary school.'
Delegations will conduct field visits on Thursday and Friday to observe key OIF programmes, including teacher training, peacekeeping preparation for military personnel and women's economic empowerment projects under the 'Francophonie With Women' fund.
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