The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Imma Torhas defended the commitment of Andorra with the multilateralism, linguistic diversity and international cooperation during the 48th Francophonie Ministerial Conferenceheld this Saturday at Phnom Penh (Cambodia). In his speech, Tor announced that next year the Government plans to promote new specific aid for research in the French language, with the aim of strengthening the presence of French in the scientific field.
The ministerial meeting has served to prepare the 20th Francophonie Summitwhich will take place this Sunday and Monday with the participation of heads of state and governmentamong which there will be the head of Government, Xavier Espot. The meeting will be held under the theme “Reinvesting in peace for shared prosperity and sustainable stability”.
During the work sessions, the minister reaffirmed the commitment of Andorra with the promotion of French and multilingualism. In this sense, he recalled that the learning of this language is integrated in the three educational systems of the country and he defended multilingualism as a tool to promote peace, inclusion and mutual understanding.
Tor has also highlighted the task of Andorra in the multilateral field, especially the presidency that exercises this 2026 del Group of Francophone Ambassadors in New York and co-facilitation, along with the Dominican Republicof the biennial resolution of the United Nations on multilingualism, adopted by consensus last September. The defense of peace, respect for international law and human rights have also focused Andorran intervention. Faced with an international scene marked by tensions and crises, Tor has vindicated the need for effective, inclusive and supportive multilateralism, which allows dialogue to be promoted, conflicts to be prevented and collective responses to be articulated.
The minister also referred to the challenges posed by digital transformation and artificial intelligence, especially with regard to the mass production of content intended to influence public opinion and the dissemination of hate speech. In this area, he has defended international cooperation to ensure that AI is at the service of people, democratic values and cultural and linguistic diversity.
In the field of Francophone cooperation, Tor highlighted the results of the “La Francophonie avec Elles” fund, which has been supported by Andorra since its creation. According to the data presented, the initiative has contributed to improving the situation of nearly 10,000 vulnerable women, who have tripled their income on average.
Bilateral contacts and summit
On the sidelines of the conference, the minister met with her Senegalese counterpart, Cheikh Niangwith whom he commented on the results of the Andorran athlete Noa Godoy at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Gameswhere he took fifth place in the final of the 400 meters and set a new record of Andorra. They have also addressed the upcoming accreditation of an ambassador from Senegal with residence in Paris.
Tor has also encountered Glaucus Conjufcafirst deputy prime minister and minister ofForeign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo. During the meeting, the Kosovar representative asked for Andorra’s support for the future incorporation of the country as a full member of theInternational Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and the Council of Europe.
The ministerial meeting will give way this Sunday to the 20th La Francophonie Summit, in which Xavier Spot will participate in the plenary sessions and will take part in a round table on the theme of the meeting. On Monday, the head of government will take part in the closed-door meeting of the heads of state and government, focused on the consolidation of peace as a collective project. The summit will close with the adoption of the Phnom Penh Declaration and a resolution on crisis situations and the consolidation of peace in the Francophone area.
