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!