FOREWORD

Mr Agustín García-López Loaeza
Ambassador of Mexico to Singapore
Chair of the Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore
On behalf of the Group of the Ambassadors of the Francophonie in Singapore (GAFS), I am thrilled to welcome you to a new edition of the Francophonie Festival in Singapore, from 10 to 28 March 2022, bringing together nearly 15 countries to showcase the Francophonie’s exciting cultural diversity.
The Francophonie Festival is a yearly event spanning several weeks to celebrate the International Day of the Francophonie – on 20 March – and showcase and share the Francophonie world values: solidarity, humanism, peace, democracy, human rights, as well as cultural and linguistic diversity.
The GAFS agreed to dedicate the 2022 edition to sustainability, covering climate change, biodiversity, green growth and the environment. The theme resonates with the global agenda following the Paris Agreement of 2015 and subsequent climate negotiations, more recently the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021, and right before the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Kunming, later this year.
During the Francophonie Festival, the public will be able to participate in 18 different programmes, including a film festival, a gastronomy event, exhibitions as well as panel discussions, in which experts
from several countries alongside Singapore will exchange views on critical matters about sustainability, to raise awareness on the core challenges posed by climate change.
The opening programme on 10 March coincides with the arrival of the French vessel Energy Observer, an autonomous, zero-emission hydrogen-powered vessel inscribed within a larger project that advocates for sustainable ecological transition. The public will have the opportunity to visit the Energy Observer at Sentosa Cove during its stopover in Singapore.
All activities will be held or be available in English, in line with the value of inclusion dear to the Francophonie, to involve Singaporeans and civil society in the festival.
I want to thank the Ambassador of France and his team, as well as my colleague Ambassadors – members of the GAFS and their teams, the Alliance Française, together with our esteemed Singaporean partners, for their enthusiasm and collaboration in putting together this relevant and exciting line-up.
We hope you join us and enjoy the Francophonie experience and the range of programmes we have prepared for you to foster a more sustainable future!