Ban welcomes closer UN cooperation with Francophone countries on human rights

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed moves by the United Nations and the community of French-speaking nations to work more closely on human rights, peacekeeping and other issues, saying it can only contribute to greater security worldwide.

Speaking last night to an International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF) event in New York, Mr. Ban said the two organizations were working closely together on many fronts, from peace and security to economic development.

“We continue to strengthen our cooperation in the crucial areas of peacekeeping, conflict prevention and electoral assistance,” he said. “We are on the ground together in Haiti, in the Central African Republic (CAR), in Guinea, Niger, Madagascar, Mauritania and the Comoros.”

Earlier this year the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and OIF Secretary-General Abdou Diouf signed an agreement for closer collaboration on promoting human rights.

“This is a wide spectrum of activity, and testimony to our strong partnership,” he said, noting that an estimated 200 million people worldwide are French speakers.