17th Francophonie Summit – Visit by Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Yerevan, 11-12 October 2018)
Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will accompany President Emmanuel Macron at the 17th Francophonie Summit in Yerevan from October 11 to 12. In Yerevan, France will reaffirm its goals for La Francophonie, as outlined by President Macon in his speech at the Institut de France on March 20. This summit will provide an important opportunity to reaffirm the importance we attach to the mission of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie to help promote peace, democracy, human rights and gender equality. La Francophonie represents a unique community of experiences, values and views that will soon bring together more than 700 million women and men around the world. French is the world’s second most learned language, with more than 125 million students and around 900,000 French language teachers abroad. It is the second most popular language for international information in the media, the third most popular language for business and the fourth most popular language for the Internet. It is a working language of major importance in all international organizations and, along with English, the only language spoken on all five continents. The number of French-speakers should increase significantly in the years to come, and France wants to help strengthen the role of French as a major language for discussions and communication, and give it new momentum as a business language. As the President pointed out, French can be the language that creates tomorrow’s world and can embrace the world’s richness and variety without denying its diverse roots. In this regard La Francophonie must do justice to all the languages that are undermined or isolated by globalization and promote intercultural exchanges and multilingualism. As Africa is the continent where the international future of the French language will play out, France will ascribe particular importance to appointing the secretary-general of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, supporting the candidacy of Louise Mushikiwabo, who is endorsed by the African Union. At the summit, France will present a strategy for the Organization to promote gender equality and the rights and empowerment of women and children, which are priorities for the President and the Government. Hosted by Armenia, this summit will feature a tribute to Charles Aznavour, who embodied the bond between France, Armenia, and the French-speaking world....
XVIIème Sommet de la Francophonie – vive la Francophonie en Birmanie !
XVII Francophonie Summit – Long live La Francophonie in Myanmar! The 17th Francophonie summit will be held on October 11 and 12 in Yerevan, Armenia. The Conference of Heads of State and government of French-speaking countries is gathering around the theme: “Living together in solidarity, sharing humanistic values and respect for diversity: a source of peace and prosperity for the Francophone world”. It will adopt a Francophonie strategy for the promotion of equality between women and men, rights and the empowerment of women and girls. Do you know the Francophonie in Myanmar?: 2,300 people taking French courses, half in international schools and universities, the other at the Institut Français de Birmanie in Yangon and the French Cultural Center in Mandalay. In addition, 1,200 guides, doctors, non-governmental and international organization staff and other Francophones use the French language every day. Nearly 1,000 French people, registered at the Consulate of the French Embassy in Yangon, live in Myanmar and at least as many French-speaking expatriates. With more than 150 students and a rapid growth of its international and Burmese staff, the Joseph Kessel International French High School in Yangon is a leading institution in the development of the Francophonie in Myanmar. Our actions in favor of the Francophonie in Myanmar aim to strengthen the place of French in the Myanmar education system, particularly in science and technology courses, to broaden the learning of French in international schools, to support the ongoing reform of the education system by promoting medium-term learning of French as a second foreign language at school. We support the development of relations of l’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) with Myanmar universities that could integrate the AUF’s global network and benefit from the expertise and know-how of other members. As a meeting place for Francophonie in the country, the Institut Français de Birmanie organizes annual family friendly and quality events, on the occasion of the International Day of Francophonie (March 20). The Institut Français de Birmanie and the French Cultural Center in Mandalay offer modern pedagogical tools and offer an international certification of language skills (DELF / DALF). Joseph Kessel International French High School in Yangon is a partner institution of the French Teaching Agency Abroad and complies with French national education programs, adapted to promote plurilingualism. The lessons are taught in French and in English. Schooling is sanctioned by the French diploma of the baccalaureate, which is internationally recognized. It gives access to the university in France, in all Europe and in most countries of the world (including for example the United States, Great Britain or Singapore). Registrations are still possible for the current school year. For more information, follow us...
Temporary Position Opening - Apply Now!
Job Title: Project Assistant of the Institut Français de Birmanie (6-month contract) Description of the Organization: The French Institute of Myanmar (IFB, formerly Alliance Française) was created in 1961. The IFB is the cultural section of the embassy of France in Myanmar, rendering services to the cultural diversity in Myanmar, and also serving as the center of excellence for teaching French and Myanmar languages. Located in an exceptional compound in the heart of Yangon, the IFB is a multipurpose place for culture and arts. Its ambition is to remain a place for creation and cross-cultural encounters for Myanmar and francophone artists. The IFB offers a steady artistic programme with cultural events all year long. Job Description: To assist the culture officer in organizing cultural activities, events and festivals To assist the communication officer in visibility campaigns and press relation of IFB To support the language courses related campaigns and activities through communication To support the development of contents for all communication tools (online and printing tools) To manage general inquiries, data entry, incoming/ outgoing phone calls regarding the cultural activities and courses To translate contents To coordinate with suppliers and service providers Period of Service: from the 15th October 2018 to the 14th April 2019 (6-month contract) Place of Work: Institut Français de Birmanie Working Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 17:30 including 1-hour lunch break (7 hours/ day). Depending upon the events and activities, it is, sometimes, required to work in the evening or at the weekend. Qualification and Skill Requirememt: Degree in French or English or Communication or equivalent qualifications (Fresh graduates are welcomed to apply) Excellent proficiency in written and spoken Myanmar and English languages Translation skills (for both formal and informal writing styles) Good communication and good knowledge on digital marketing Computer literate, especially in social media, e-mailing, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint Dynamic, independent, responsive, open personality Additional Assets: Good knowledge of French language Good knowledge on taking photos and web-administration (WordPress) Interested candidates are invited to submit the CV, cover letter and certificates via email to by the 5th October 2018 (Friday), 5 pm. Short-listed candidates will be informed for the interview arrangement. Download pdf here: Fiche de poste assistant(e) projet...
Call for consultancy
Summary of the evaluation 1. Purpose: The purpose of this evaluation is to examine the implementation of the French Embassy 2017-2018 program in support to civil society in Myanmar (PISCCA program), and to provide lessons learned and recommendations for future programming. This evaluation will focus on the PISCCA program as a whole and on five out of a total of fifteen micro-projects supported under the PISCCA program. 2. Duration: this evaluation is expected to take approximately 45 calendar days. 3. Estimated Dates: beginning of November to mid-January. 4. Geographical Location: this evaluation will be mainly carried out in Yangon, with one or two missions outside of Yangon (one mission to Central Rakhine State and possibly another one to Shan State or Mandalay Division). 5. Methodology: ToR can be found in annex I The proposed methodology will include document review and interviews with: key staff of the Embassy, key staff of the supported NGO to be evaluated and with beneficiaries of the five micro-projects to be evaluated. Deliverables: one inception note, one evaluation report for each of the five micro-projects to be evaluated, one evaluation report for the overall evaluation of the PISCCA program and one short document summarizing lessons learned and recommendations. The methodology described in the ToR is open to discussion. Applicants are invited to propose alternative methodologies. 6. Evaluation Management Team: This evaluation will be managed by the Cooperation and Cultural Action Service of the French Embassy in Yangon (SCAC). The selection of the evaluator(s) along with the validation of the inception plan and of the final reports will be approved by the steering committee of the PISCCA program (composed by personnel of the French Embassy and of the French Agency for Development). 7. How to apply: Applications should be sent before the 15th of October, 8 AM, to the following email address: Mrs Jeanne Berger () and Mr Philippe Devaud (). Download detailed information (PDF) at Annexe I – ToR Evaluation PISCCA French...
Myanmar’s earliest Maritime Silk Road port-settlements revealed
Myanmar’s earliest Maritime Silk Road port-settlements revealed B. Bellina, Maung Sun Win, Kalayar Myat Myat Htwe, Htet Myat Thu, C. Castillo, C. Colonna, L. Dussubieux, A. Favereau, E. Miyama, B. Pradier, O. Pryce, S. Srikanlaya, E. Trivière In February – March 2018, the Franco-Myanmar project, “Thanintharyi and the Maritime Silk Roads” carried out its first season of excavations at Maliwan and Aw Gyi in Myanmar’s southernmost state, Thanintharyi. The project is a collaboration between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Myanmar Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, and is supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The project aims to define the economic and political role this region played in the first “trans-continental” maritime exchange network that came to link the Western World to China from the 4th-3rd century BC. The research wishes to determine to what extent and in which manner long distance exchange fashioned peninsular populations’ social, economic and political trajectories. The inception of this long-distance network took place during a period that witnessed the political unifications of Mauryan India and Han China. It inaugurated a trading boom and major social changes amongst the societies involved, such as the spread of Buddhism, Indic political concepts, etc. The Thai-Malay Peninsula, to which Thanintharyi belongs, acted as a central region in these exchanges, located between the Indian (Bay of Bengal) and Pacific (South China Sea) Oceans. From the late centuries BC, travellers and merchants sailing in these monsoon climes made stopovers in one of the riverine ports along the Peninsula coast, where they could replenish their boat, obtain local or imported goods stocked in local entrepôts and exchange ideas with other traders. Thus the Peninsula became a hub and a cradle for innovations that were then redistributed in both the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea. Map Terra incognita from an archaeological point of view until 15 years ago, the Kra Isthmus turned out to be a core region during the genesis of the Maritime Silk Roads. Research lead by the French mission revealed that as early as the 4th c. BC, cosmopolitan and proto-urbanised polities developed there. These early city-states played a crucial role in trade and cultural exchanges, elaborating political and economic models later seen during the historical period from the 8th c. AD. Port-cities were linked to upstream/inland collecting sites that provided primary resources (minerals, resins, timber) for long-distance trade and also acted as relay stations for traders and other travellers who were crossing the Peninsula. The two port-settlements investigated by the Franco-Myanmar mission in 2018 were also part of this networks web. Maliwan is a large...
The 14th of July : Bastille Day
One of the revolutionary days in Paris and now a national holiday, the 14th of July (“Bastille Day”) is celebrated with a mixture of solemn military parades and easygoing dancing and fireworks. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 has been commemorated in France for more than a century. Contents The Storming of the Bastille The National Holiday The 14th of July Today The Eiffel Tower is illuminated during the traditional Bastille Day fireworks display in Paris July 14, 2013. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (FRANCE – Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL CITYSCAPE ANNIVERSARY) The Storming of the Bastille Paris was in a state of high agitation in the early months of the French revolution. In Spring 1789, the Estates-General refused to dissolve, transforming itself instead into a constituent National Assembly. In July, King Louis XVI called in fresh troops and dismissed his popular Minister, Jacques Necker. On the morning of July 14, the people of Paris seized weapons from the armoury at the Invalides and marched in the direction of an ancient Royal fortress, the Bastille. After a bloody round of firing, the crowd broke into the Bastille and released the handful of prisoners held there. The storming of the Bastille signaled the first victory of the people of Paris against a symbol of the “Ancien Régime” (Old Regime). Indeed, the edifice was razed to the ground in the months that followed. The Fête de la Fédération (“Feast of the Federations”) held on July 14, 1790, celebrated with great pomp the first Anniversary of the insurrection. In Paris, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord held Mass at the Altar of the Fatherland, on the Champ de Mars. The National Holiday The commemoration of July 14 was abandoned in subsequent years. Under the Third Republic, however, leaders (particularly Léon Gambetta) cast about for ways to celebrate the foundations of the regime. A Deputy for the Seine Department, Benjamin Raspail, moved that July 14 be named the national holiday of the Republic, and Parliament passed an act to that effect on July 6, 1880. From the outset, the emphasis was on the patriotic and military character of the event, expressing France’s recovery from the defeat of 1870. Every commune or locality in France held its own celebration, starting with a torchlight parade on the evening of the 13th. The next morning, church bells or gun salutes announced the military parade, which is followed by a luncheon, spectacles and games, with dancing and fireworks ending the day. Coming after the austerity of the 1914-18 war, the 14th of July 1919 was the occasion of a great victory celebration. Similarly, July 14, 1945 was preceded by three...
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