The OIF is placed under the authority of 3 political bodies: the Summit, the supreme body of the Francophonie which meets every two years, the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie (CMF) and the Permanent Council of the Francophonie (CPF).
The Secretary General of the Francophonie is the highest official of the OIF. Louise Mushikiwabo was appointed to this position by the Francophonie Summit in 2018 in Yerevan (Armenia).
The Secretary General appoints an Administrator responsible for carrying out and managing the cooperation. Geoffroi Montpetit was appointed to this position on February 22, 2021.
The OIF has several program or support departments and, to relay its action in the field, it has 11 external representations.
4 representations to international partner organizations:
- in Addis Ababa, with the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,
- in Brussels, with the European Union,
- in New York and Geneva, at the United Nations
7 representations for as many geographical areas:
- in Lomé (Togo) for West Africa,
- in Libreville (Gabon) for Central Africa,
- in Tunis (Tunisia) for North Africa
- in Antananarivo (Madagascar) for the Indian Ocean
- in Hanoi (Vietnam) for the Asia-Pacific zone;
- in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) for the Caribbean and Latin America
- in Bucharest (Romania) for Central and Eastern Europe