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110-462: Bataka is a small town in Dominica . It is located in the northeast of the island, between Pagua Bay and Salybia . The population of the village was described as "about 200" in 1956. 15°30′N 61°16′W  /  15.500°N 61.267°W  / 15.500; -61.267 This Dominica location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dominica in

220-709: A Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection with the US military, as covered under Article 98 . In January 2008, Dominica joined the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas . Both male and female same-sex sexual activity were criminalized in Dominica in the 19th century during the colonial era. In April 2024, Dominican attorney-at-law Cara Shillingford persuaded the High Court of Justice to overturn

330-399: A landslide caused by the heavy rains crushed their house. In another incident two people were injured when a tree fell on their house. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit estimated that 100 to 125 homes were damaged, and that the agricultural sector was extensively damaged, in particular the banana crop. In August 2015, Tropical Storm Erika caused extensive flooding and landslides across

440-591: A French-speaking university in the service of African development was presented and adopted following the Dakar Summit in 1989. The Senghor University in Alexandria , Egypt is a private postgraduate institution that trains managers and high-level trainers in areas that are a priority for development in Francophone Africa . It directs the capacities of the managers and trainers to the action and

550-414: A common language through their knowledge. Education, like access to autonomy and information for all, begins with all children having access to a full primary education free of any inequality. It involves an integrated approach of teaching and training from primary to secondary school that will lead to employment. Education policies must also give French an integral place alongside the partner languages. Last,

660-760: A decade of poor performance. Growth in 2006 was attributed to gains in tourism, construction, offshore and other services, and some sub-sectors of the banana industry. Around this time the International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised the Government of Dominica for its successful macroeconomic reforms, but also pointed out remaining challenges, including the need for further reductions in public debt, increased financial sector regulation, and market diversification. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ( OIF ; sometimes shortened to

770-427: A destination for tourists interested in whale-watching . The Commonwealth of Dominica is engaged in a long-running dispute with Venezuela over Venezuela's territorial claims to the sea surrounding Isla de Aves (literally Bird Island, but in fact called 'Bird Rock' by Dominican authorities), a tiny islet located 140 miles (225 km) west of the island of Dominica. Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within

880-475: A few years the government sought to encourage the island as an ecotourism destination, although the hurricane of 2017 has since changed these plans. The country had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.06/10, ranking it 166th globally out of 172 countries. There are two primary population centres: the capital Roseau (with 14,725 inhabitants in 2011) and Portsmouth (with 4,167 inhabitants in 2011). The main centres tend to be located around

990-760: A fundamental shift from the cultural to the political sphere. Jacques Legendre, the French senate's rapporteur on the Francophonie, expressed his concern that the OIF was becoming "a second-rate duplicate of the General Assembly of the UN". Many actors of the francophone sphere interested in the future of the organisation, including former French ministers or secretaries of state for the Francophonie such as Pierre-André Wiltzer and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, have been calling on

1100-430: A group of sperm whales live in this area year-round. Other cetaceans commonly seen in the area include spinner dolphins , pantropical spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins . Less commonly seen animals include killer whales , false killer whales , pygmy sperm whales , dwarf sperm whales , Risso's dolphins , common dolphins , Atlantic spotted dolphins , humpback whales and Bryde's whales . This makes Dominica

1210-469: A lowercase "f"), or francosphere (often capitalized in English), also refers to the global community of French-speaking peoples, comprising a network of private and public organizations promoting equal ties among countries where French or Belgian people or France or Belgium played a significant historical role, culturally, militarily, or politically. The modern organisation was created in 1970. Its motto

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1320-644: A moratorium on the admission of new members, each new Sommet de la Francophonie has witnessed the admission of batches of new members that have little, if anything, to do with the French language: Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Dominican Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Estonia and Montenegro in 2010; Qatar and Uruguay in 2012; Mexico, Costa Rica and Kosovo in 2014. On that occasion, the Montreal daily Le Devoir , which reports extensively on

1430-472: A takeover by mercenaries in Operation Red Dog , led by Mike Perdue and Wolfgang Droege . They tried to overthrow Charles as prime minister and reinstall ex-prime minister John in exchange for control over the country's development. The FBI was tipped off, and the ship hired to transport the mercenaries never left dock. The mercenaries lacked formal military experience or training, and most of

1540-456: Is égalité , complémentarité , solidarité ("equality, complementarity, and solidarity"), a deliberate allusion to France's motto liberté, égalité, fraternité . Starting as a small group of French-speaking countries, the Francophonie has since evolved into a global organization whose numerous branches cooperate with its member states in the fields of culture, science, economy, justice, and peace. The convention which created

1650-507: Is Morne Diablotins , at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census. The island was settled by the Arawak arriving from South America in the fifth century. The Kalinago displaced the Arawak by the 15th century. Christopher Columbus is said to have passed the island on Sunday, 3 November 1493. It was later colonised by Europeans, predominantly by

1760-452: Is Dominica's national bird and is endemic to its mountain forests. A related species, the Jaco or red-necked parrot ( A. arausiaca ), is also a Dominican endemic. Both birds are rare and protected, though some forest is still threatened by logging in addition to the long-standing threat of hurricanes. Dominica has recorded at least four species of snakes and 11 species of lizards. Dominica

1870-669: Is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea , the northernmost of the Windward Islands (though it is sometimes considered the southernmost of the Leeward Islands ). The size of the country is about 289.5 square miles (750 km ) and it is about 29 miles (47 km) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide. Known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its lush scenery and varied flora and fauna, Dominica

1980-470: Is largely covered by rainforest and is home to the world's second-largest hot spring , Boiling Lake . Within its borders lie two ecoregions: Windward Islands moist forests and Windward Islands xeric scrub. The most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters, the largest of these being (north-to-south) Morne aux Diables , Morne Diablotins (the highest on

2090-537: Is the French international civil servant Dominique Hoppe. TV5Monde is the first international French language television network, available in many countries. On television and online the audience of TV5Monde has grown rapidly. TV5 is one of the three largest television networks in the world (along with the BBC and CNN), and is considered one of the greatest achievements of the Francophonie. It provides wide access to original television programmes in French, and contributes to

2200-423: Is the last major stronghold of the critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana ( Iguana delicatissima ). Dominica is home to 195 species of birds. Because of the isolated location of Dominica, this number is lower than that of Trinidad , which is located closer to mainland South-America and has 472 bird species. The Caribbean Sea offshore of the island of Dominica is home to many cetaceans . Most notably

2310-434: Is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, and is still being formed by geothermal - volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world's second-largest hot spring , called Boiling Lake . The island has lush mountainous rainforests and is the home of many rare plants, animals, and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions, but heavy rainfall occurs inland. The Sisserou parrot , also known as

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2420-481: Is to establish close cooperation in all areas of municipal activities. Its missions are to strengthen local democracy, building municipal capacities, and to support the populations. The association pursues its actions in the domains of health, culture, youth and education, urban development, training, and municipal infrastructures. The association is presided by Anne Hidalgo (Paris' mayor) since 2009, with Pierre Baillet as permanent secretary. The project of creating

2530-601: Is to plan Summits. This conference also supervises the execution of the Summit decisions made by the ministerial conferences on a day-to-day basis, about the examination of the propositions of the budget distribution. The objectives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) are to represent to the French-speaking authorities, the interests of the French-speaking communities, to promote

2640-545: The British West Indies to have an elected legislature controlled by an ethnic African majority. Most of these legislators had been free people of colour and smallholders or merchants before the abolition of slavery. Their economic and social views were different from the interests of the small, wealthy English planter class. Reacting to a perceived threat to their power, the planters lobbied for more direct British rule. In 1865, after much agitation and tension,

2750-548: The Commonwealth of Nations , the Francophonie has as its stated aims the promotion of democracy and human rights . Following the 3 November 2000 Déclaration de Bamako , the Francophonie has given itself the financial means to attain a number of set objectives in that regard. The Francophonie intends to contribute significantly to promoting peace, democracy and support for the rule of law and human rights by focusing on prevention. Political stability and full rights for all,

2860-420: The Commonwealth of Nations . The capital is Roseau . The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the Caribbean's few republics . The president is the head of state , while executive power rests with the cabinet , headed by the prime minister . The unicameral parliament consists of the 30-member House of Assembly , which consists of 21 directly elected members and nine senators, who may either be appointed by

2970-754: The Francophonie , French : La Francophonie [la fʁɑ̃kɔfɔni] , sometimes also called International Organisation of La Francophonie in English ) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a lingua franca or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophones (French speakers), or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture . The organization comprises 88 member states and governments; of these, 54 states and governments are full members, 7 are associate members and 27 are observers. The term francophonie (with

3080-508: The Island Carib people, who are thought to have driven out the previous Arawak population. However, this may be a partial misconception as ancestral Kalinago narratives mention the two groups co existing and intermarrying. The Arawak were not the primary indigenous group. It is believed that before them were a group of paleo-Indians who arrived towards the end of the late Pleistocene period. In 1493, Christopher Columbus first spotted

3190-541: The Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea . The capital, Roseau , is located on the western side of the island. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union , the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km (290 sq mi), and the highest point

3300-525: The Military of Dominica , who organised an attack on the police headquarters in Roseau which resulted in the death of a police officer. Newton and five other soldiers were found guilty in the attack and sentenced to death in 1983; the sentences of the five accomplices were later commuted to life in prison, but Newton was executed in 1986. A second occurred later in the year when the country was threatened with

3410-655: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Non-Aligned Movement . The Caribs called the island Wai‘tu kubuli , which means "Tall is her body". Christopher Columbus , sailing for Spain, named the island Dominica, after the Latin term dies Dominica for Sunday , the day on which he first saw it in November 1493. Dominica's name is pronounced with emphasis on the third syllable, following

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3520-522: The Republic of Senegal , became Secretary General on January 1, 2003. He was reelected on 29 September 2006, for a second mandate during the Summit of the Francophonie of Bucharest , and elected again in 2010 at the Summit of the Francophonie of Montreux for another mandate which ran until 31 December 2014. At the 2014 summit in Dakar , former Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean was chosen to lead

3630-533: The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 , Britain ended the institution of slavery throughout its empire , except in India. With freedom came enfranchisement. In 1835, the first three men of African descent were elected to the legislative assembly of Dominica. Many slaves from the neighbouring French colonial islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique fled to Dominica. In 1838, Dominica became the first colony of

3740-702: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade , by which slaves were imported and sold as labour in the islands as part of a trade that included producing and shipping sugar and coffee as commodity crops to Europe. The best documented slave plantation on the island is Hillsborough Estate, which had 71 male and 68 female slaves. The Greg family were notable: Thomas Hodgson, a brother-in-law, owned a slave ship, and Thomas Greg and his son John Greg were part-owners of sugar plantations in Dominica. In January 1814, 20 slaves absconded from Hillsborough. They were recorded as recaptured and punished with 100 lashes applied to

3850-722: The UNESCO of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (20 October 2005). At the national level, there is the problem of promoting the French language within the context of its co-existence with other partner or international languages in most member countries, especially in Africa . Maintaining the relative importance of the status of French is an imperative that requires solidarity and

3960-565: The Western Hemisphere Dominica ( locally / ˌ d ɒ m ɪ ˈ n iː k ə / dom-in- EE -kə ; UK : US : / ˌ d ɒ m ɪ ˈ n iː k ə / or / d ə ˈ m ɪ n ɪ k ə / ; Dominican Creole French : Dominik ; Kalinago : Waitukubuli ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica , is an island country in the Caribbean . It is part of the Windward Islands chain in

4070-444: The same reason . Thailand, an observer nation, was suspended in 2014 following the 2013–14 political crisis . In 2018, Louisiana became the first US state to join, as an observer. In 2021, the government of Nova Scotia announced its intention to apply for observer status. Although Algeria has one of the largest French-speaking communities in the world, it is not a member of the organisation. The International Organization of

4180-466: The Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation ( Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique ) was signed on 20 March 1970 by the representatives of the 21 states and governments under the influence of African Heads of State, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia, Hamani Diori of Niger and Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. Based on the sharing of the French language,

4290-477: The Americas, Hispaniola, and island shares with Haiti. Hispaniola was later renamed Dominican Republic. Spain had little success in colonising Dominica. In 1632, the French Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique claimed it and other "Petites Antilles" for France , but no physical occupation took place. Between 1642 and 1650, French missionary Raymond Breton became the first regular European visitor to

4400-533: The British established a legislative assembly , with only European colonists represented. French remained the official language, but Antillean Creole , which had developed from it, was spoken by most of the population. In 1778 the French, with the active co-operation of the population, began the re-capture of Dominica . This was ended by the Treaty of Paris (1783) , which returned the island to British control. But

4510-534: The DLP, replaced Pierre Charles as prime minister, becoming the world's youngest head of government at the age of 31. Under Skerrit's leadership, the DLP won elections in May 2005 that gave the party 12 seats in the 21-seat Parliament. The UWP won 8 seats and Ronald Toulon, who was an independent candidate at that time, won the remaining seat. Later, Toulon joined the government. With his 2005 election win, Skerrit became only

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4620-616: The Dominica Freedom Party in 1993 and did not contest the 1995 general election in any capacity. No longer benefiting from the veteran charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Eugenia Charles, the Dominica Freedom Party lost the 1995 election to the UWP, whose leader Edison James became prime minister. James, former General Manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing Company attempted to diversify

4730-517: The Dominica Freedom Party led by former trade union leader, Charles Savarin . Douglas became prime minister. One UWP member of the House of Assembly crossed the floor, joining the DLP-DFP coalition government. However, Douglas died on 1 October 2000 after only a few months. Prime Minister Douglas was replaced by Pierre Charles , who also died in office on 6 January 2004. Roosevelt Skerrit , also of

4840-618: The Dominican economy away from over-reliance on bananas. The crop was largely destroyed by Hurricane Luis in 1995. Further James was unable to restore banana to its former selling price and prestige. Moreover, the James administration became embroiled in Opposition charges of official corruption. In the 31 January 2000 general election , the UWP were defeated by a coalition of the DLP, led by left-leaning Roosevelt B. "Rosie" Douglas and

4950-526: The Francophone countries of Africa , the Arab world , Southeast Asia , Central and Eastern Europe , and the Caribbean . Its mission is to contribute to the construction and consolidation of a scientific space in French. It supports the French language, cultural and linguistic diversity, law and democracy, and the environment and sustainable development . It also provides an important mobility program for

5060-408: The Francophonie ( Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie ) in 1998 to remind its intergovernmental status. Finally in 2005, the adoption of a new Charter of the Francophonie ( la Charte de la Francophonie ) gives the name to the Agency of international Organisation of the Francophonie ( Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ). The position of Secretary-General was created in 1997 at

5170-592: The Francophonie is constituted by member sections representing 77 parliaments or interparliamentary organizations. The Secretary General is the French senator Jacques Legendre . The Agency of the Francophonie is the main operator of the cultural, scientific, technical, economic and legal cooperation programs decided at the Summits. It is also the legal seat of the Secretary General and is used by him as an administrative support. The agency also contributes to

5280-548: The Francophonie leads political actions and multilateral cooperation according to the missions drawn by the Summits of the Francophonie. The Summits gather the Heads of states and governments of the member countries of the International Organization of the Francophonie where they discuss international politics, world economy, French-speaking cooperation, human rights, education, culture and democracy. Actions of

5390-590: The Francophonie relies on five operating agencies to carry out its mandate: l' Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF); TV5Monde ; l' Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF); l'Association des Fonctionnaires Francophones des Organisations Internationales (AFFOI); and l' Université Senghor d'Alexandrie. Established in 1961 in Montreal , the Association of Francophone Universities gathers institutions of higher education and research among

5500-465: The Francophonie to non-French speakers - it is translated into 12 languages. The International Association of French-speaking Mayors was created in Quebec City in 1979 Jean Pelletier and Jacques Chirac , then the respective mayors of Quebec City and Paris with an initial group of 20 founder-cities. It is an operating agency for urban development gathering 48 countries or governments. The goal

5610-469: The French from the 1690s to 1763. The French trafficked slaves from West Africa to Dominica to work on coffee plantations. Great Britain took possession in 1763 after the Seven Years' War , and it gradually established English as its official language. The island gained independence as a republic in 1978. Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Island of the Caribbean" for its natural environment. It

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5720-426: The French islands with wood, and they gradually became permanent settlers. They brought the first enslaved Africans from West Africa to Dominique , as they called it in French. In 1715, a revolt of "poor white" smallholders in the north of Martinique, known as La Gaoulé, caused settlers to migrate to southern Dominique, where they set up smallholdings . Meanwhile, French families and others from Guadeloupe settled in

5830-599: The Imperial amazon, is critically endangered and found only on Dominica. It is the island's national bird and is featured on the national flag , making Dominica one of only two sovereign nations whose official flag features the color purple. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the United Nations , the Organization of American States , the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ,

5940-533: The International Organization of the Francophonie are scheduled over a period of four years and funded by contributions from its members. The Charte de la Francophonie defines the role and missions of the organization. The current charter was adopted in Antananarivo , on 23 November 2005. The summit held in Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso on 26–27 November 2004 saw the adoption of a strategic framework for

6050-481: The OIF and its summits, remarked that several members of this "merry madhouse" that the OIF had become did not even recognise Kosovo as a country. The "endless enlargement" of the Organisation accelerated following the arrival at the head of the OIF of former UN Secretary General Boutros-Ghali who declared early in his term in 1998 that French being in his opinion the language of solidarity, tolerance, respect for

6160-413: The OIF has climbed from 21 in 1970 to 88 member states and territories in 2018. This sharp increase in the number of member states, many of whom have little to no connection with the French language and culture, has been a matter of growing concern. In their 1996 study on the Francophone space, linguists Daniel Baggioni and Roland Breton pointed out, alluding to the applications of Bulgaria and Angola to join

6270-502: The OIF to refocus on its fundamentals: language and culture. Human rights and fundamental freedoms, despite having been declared "categorical imperatives" by Secretary General Boutros-Ghali in 1998, are routinely abused by many members states of the OIF. The deplorable track record of many OIF member states regarding human rights came to the fore during the 1999 Francophonie Summit in Moncton, Canada, when Canadian dailies loudly denounced

6380-483: The OIF, that only politico-diplomatic criteria could explain these odd extensions of the OIF. Xavier Deniau, founder of the Association des parlementaires de langue française (now the Parliamentary assembly) and author of La Francophonie , expressed concern that the enlargement of the OIF to countries where French is practically nonexistent risks diluting the effectiveness of the organisation. Despite calls for

6490-512: The Republic of the Congo and Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso "personal friends", nothing came out of this declaration. The French daily Le Monde noted at the time that if respect for fundamental freedoms was to become a criterion for membership in the OIF, the organisation would simply cease to exist. French President Macron's surprise announcement in May 2018 that France officially backed

6600-659: The Spanish pronunciation of its name given to it by Christopher Columbus. The similar names and the identical demonym with the Dominican Republic has caused some in Dominica to advocate a change in its name to establish its own identity. Dominica first emerged from the sea during the Oligocene era approximately 67 million years ago, making it one of the last Caribbean islands to be formed by volcanic activity . Dominica's precolonial indigenous inhabitants were

6710-408: The UWP again won both seats. The DLP under Skerrit went on to win the 2014 Dominican general election . On 17 September 2012 Eliud Thaddeus Williams was sworn in as President (a largely ceremonial role), replacing Dr. Nicholas Liverpool who was reportedly removed from office due to ill health. On 30 September 2013 former Trade Union leader and former Dominica Freedom Party leader Charles Savarin

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6820-545: The West or Caribbean Sea Coast elites in Roseau, Dominica's capital. Eugenia Charles again won the 1990 general election, the first incumbent Dominica Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections. However, Eugenia Charles's DFP had been pushed to within one seat of losing its majority in Parliament by the emergence of the UWP. It was, therefore, no great surprise when Eugenia Charles gave up political leadership of

6930-654: The authority of the three main institutions of the Francophonie: the Summits, the Ministerial Conference and the Permanent Council. The Summit, the highest authority in the Francophonie, is held every two years and gathers the heads of states and governments of all member states of the OIF around certain themes of discussion. It is chaired by the head of state or government of the host country and this person assumes that responsibility until

7040-401: The buildings on the island had been destroyed, with infrastructure left in ruins. The UK, France and the Netherlands set up shipping and air lifts to take aid to the island; the scale of destruction having left most people homeless. Dominica won its first two Commonwealth Games medals in silver and bronze in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast . President Charles Angelo Savarin

7150-504: The close of the summit that a human rights observatory would be established to tackle the problem. Given that during his 12-year tenure, President Chirac, dubbed Papa Afrique or Chirac l'Africain , had confided more than once that Africa was not ready for multi-party democracy ( l'Afrique n'est pas mûre pour le multipartisme ) and was known for his close relationship with many entrenched African strongmen, calling Omar Bongo of Gabon, Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo, Denis Sassou Nguesso of

7260-444: The coast, with the mountainous interior sparsely populated. Dominica is especially vulnerable to hurricanes as the island is located in what is referred to as the hurricane region. In 1979, Hurricane David struck the island as a Category 4 hurricane, causing widespread and extreme damage. On 17 August 2007, Hurricane Dean , a Category 1 hurricane at the time, hit the island. A mother and her seven-year-old son died when

7370-406: The colonial office replaced the elective assembly with one made up of one-half members who were elected and one-half who were appointed. Planters, who were allied with colonial administrators, outmanoeuvred the elected legislators on many occasions. In 1871, Dominica became part of the British Leeward Islands . The political power of the elected assembly progressively eroded. Crown colony government

7480-457: The conservation of these resources with effective anti-poverty campaigns. In 2013, the United Nations Volunteers programme received a financial contribution from the Federal Public Service (FPS) Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Belgium for the years 2013 and 2014 to support the outreach to the francophone world and the promotion of volunteerism via its Online Volunteering service. The membership of

7590-400: The crew had been misled into joining by the ringleader Mike Perdue. White supremacist Don Black was also jailed for his part in the attempted coup, which violated US neutrality laws. The Charles government supported the 1983 American invasion of Grenada , earning Dominica praise from the U.S. government of Ronald Reagan , and an increase in financial aid. By the middle of the 1980s,

7700-410: The democracy, the rule of law and the respect of human rights. Furthermore, it follows the execution by the operators of the Francophonie of action plans elaborated by the Conference of the members using French as a common language It also favours the cooperation and strengthens the solidarity within the French-speaking communities, mainly towards the parliaments of the South. The Parliamentary Assembly of

7810-453: The development of the French language and to the promotion of the diverse languages and cultures of its members, while encouraging mutual understanding between them and the Francophonie. For this reason, it is a place of exchange and dialogue and its simultaneous in Francophone countries. The Agency's headquarters are in Paris and it has three regional branches in Libreville , Gabon; Lomé , Togo; and Hanoi , Vietnam. Mauritania 's membership

7920-401: The development of the language and French-speaking cultures. It broadcasts the different forms of the French language spoken around the world, with all their accents. It reaches beyond native speakers of French; the majority of those who can receive it and part of its audience comprise viewers for whom French is not the mother tongue. Thanks to subtitles in various languages, it provides access to

8030-414: The economy had begun to recover, before weakening again due to a decrease in banana prices. Eugenia Charles won the 1985 general election, becoming only the first incumbent Dominica Prime Minister to be popularly re-elected. The continuing downturn in the economy and the tight grip by Eugenia Charles on Dominica politics gave rise to a self-titled "Third Force" political formation in 1988, which disrupted

8140-450: The exercise of responsibilities in certain domains for the development: the project management, the financial institutions, the environment, the nutrition-health and of the cultural heritage. The Senghor University regularly organizes seminaries to help its students and of the public specialized in the domains of its action, by collaborating with the other operators and the institutions of the Francophonie. The International Organization of

8250-419: The governments of Canada and Quebec, pushed for the adoption of a Charter in order for the organization to sanction member States that are known to have poor records when it comes to the protection of human rights and the practice of democracy. Such a measure was debated at least twice but was never approved. The International Organization of the Francophonie aims at connecting the various peoples using French as

8360-464: The individual, cultural diversity, universality and openness, the OIF needed to open itself to non francophones. The motivation of small and mid-size countries in joining the organisation appears to be a desire to increase their international visibility. In October 2018, the Irish Minister of State for European Affairs explained that Ireland's accession to the OIF with observer status was one of

8470-562: The island at 1,447 m), Morne Trois Pitons and Morne Anglais . Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a tropical forest blended with volcanic features; it was recognised as a World Heritage Site on 4 April 1995, a distinction it shares with four other Caribbean islands. The Calibishie area in the country's northeast has sandy beaches. Some plants and animals thought to be extinct on surrounding islands can still be found in Dominica's forests. The island has several protected areas , including Cabrits National Park , as well as 365 rivers. For

8580-428: The island during his second voyage to the Americas. Because he saw the island on a Sunday (November 3, 1493), Columbus named the island Dominica (Latin for 'Sunday'). Some Spanish colonisers settled here. But, as European explorers and settlers entered the region, indigenous refugees from surrounding islands settled Dominica and pushed out the Spanish settlers. The Spanish instead focused on their first founded Island of

8690-497: The island population, especially the class of free people of color , resisted British restrictions. The British retained control throughout French invasions in 1795 and 1805, the first taking place during the period of the Haitian Revolution , which gained the independence of Haiti (formerly Saint-Domingue, France's richest Caribbean colony). Great Britain established a small colony in 1805. It used Dominica as part of

8800-481: The island. Hurricane Allen the following year caused further damage. After the 1980 election , Seraphin's government was replaced by one led by the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) under Prime Minister Eugenia Charles ; she was the Caribbean's first female prime minister. In 1981, Charles's government was threatened with two attempted coups. The first was led by Frederick Newton , commander of

8910-489: The island. In 1660, the French and English agreed that Dominica and St. Vincent should not be settled, but instead left to the Carib people as neutral territory —but its natural resources attracted expeditions of English and French foresters, who began harvesting timber. In 1690, the French established their first permanent settlements. French woodcutters from Martinique and Guadeloupe began to set up timber camps to supply

9020-505: The island. Multiple communities were evacuated and upwards of 30 people were killed. According to a Rapid Damage and Impact Assessment prepared for Dominica by the World Bank, the total damage and losses from the storm were US$ 484.82 million or 90% of Dominica's yearly GDP. Category 5 Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017 and caused losses of approximately US$ 930 million or 226% of GDP. The Sisserou parrot ( Amazona imperialis )

9130-566: The laws banning same-sex activity since they violated LGBT individuals' constitutional rights. Dominica is divided into 10 parishes , given below with their 2011 Census populations: Dominica's currency is the East Caribbean Dollar . In 2008, Dominica had one of the lowest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rates of Eastern Caribbean states. The country nearly had a financial crisis in 2003 and 2004, but Dominica's economy grew by 3.5% in 2005 and 4.0% in 2006, following

9240-504: The males and 50 for the females. The slaves reportedly said that one of their people had died in the plantation hospital, and they believed he had been poisoned. In 1831, reflecting a liberalisation of official British racial attitudes, the Brown Privilege Bill conferred political and social rights on free blacks (mostly free people of colour , who generally were of mixed race , with African and European ancestry). With

9350-423: The missions of this new intergovernmental organization are the promotion of the cultures of its members and the intensification of the cultural and technical cooperation between them, as well as the solidarity and the connection between them through dialogue. The Francophonie project ceaselessly evolved since the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Co-operation, it became the intergovernmental Agency of

9460-413: The next summit. By enabling the heads of state and government to hold a dialogue on all international issues of the day, the summit serves to develop strategies and goals of the Francophonie so as to ensure the organisation's influence on the world scene. The Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie gathers the foreign or francophone affairs ministers of member states and governments every year to ensure

9570-419: The nomination of Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanda's longtime foreign minister, as the next secretary general of the OIF was seen by many as a setback for the defense and promotion of human rights. An open letter signed by four former French ministers for international cooperation condemned this move, on one hand because it was taken unilaterally by the French president without consultation with the other member states of

9680-446: The north. In 1727, the first French commander, M. Le Grand , took charge of the island with a basic French government. Dominique formally became a colony of France, and the island was divided into districts or "quarters". The French had already developed plantation agriculture on Martinique and Guadeloupe, where they cultivated sugarcane with enslaved African workers. In Dominique they gradually developed coffee plantations. Because of

9790-451: The organisation's silence regarding widespread human rights abuses by member states ruled by "tyrants". It was pointed out that no less than 35 member states of the OIF had been accused of human rights violations by Amnesty International , while 15 member states were among the countries listed by Reporters Without Borders as systematically violating freedom of the press. Prime Minister Chrétien and President Chirac felt compelled to declare at

9900-617: The organization starting in January 2015. The Secretary General of the Francophonie is elected during the Summit, and serves as the spokesperson and the official representative internationally of the political actions of the Francophonie. The Secretary General is responsible for proposing priority areas for multilateral Francophonie actions. Their job is to facilitate Francophone multilateral cooperation and to ensure that programs and activities of all operating agencies work in harmony. The Secretary General carries out their four-year mandate under

10010-409: The period 2004–2014. The four missions drawn by the Summit of the Francophonie are: The primary mission of the organization is the promotion of the French language as an international language and the promotion of worldwide cultural and linguistic diversity in the era of economic globalization . In this regard, countries that are members of the Francophonie have contributed largely to the adoption by

10120-565: The political continuity of the Summit. This conference ensures that the decisions made during the previous Summits are carried out and to plan the next Summit. It also recommends new members and observers to the Summit. The Permanent Council of the Francophonie gathers the Ambassadors of the member countries, chaired by the General Secretary of the Francophonie and under the authority of the Ministerial Conference, its main task

10230-409: The pooling of means and resources among countries committed to the French language within their respective societies. The Francophonie has been a pioneer in terms of the recognition of cultural diversity and dialogue of cultures. It must find ways of confronting the trend towards uniformity that accompanies globalization and fostering the preservation and development of cultural diversity. Similar to

10340-741: The popularly elected seats of the legislative assembly in 1924, and one-half in 1936. In 1940, administration of Dominica was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands . During World War II , some Dominicans volunteered in British and Caribbean forces. Thousands of Free French refugees from Martinique and Guadeloupe escaped to Dominica from the Vichy -controlled French islands, staying in Roseau and other villages. Until 1958, Dominica

10450-581: The president or elected by the other members of the House of Assembly. Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica was never a Commonwealth realm , instead becoming a republic on independence. Dominica is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Dominica is also a member of the International Criminal Court , with

10560-450: The research potential of French-language academic streams must be promoted. The Francophonie is committed to working towards sustainable development by supporting the improvement of economic governance, capacity building, cooperation and the search for common positions in major international negotiations. It's necessary to manage durably the natural resources, particularly the energy and the water, and politics are established to make sure of

10670-640: The second incumbent Prime Minister of seven to be popularly re-elected. In the 2009 election , the DLP won 18 of 21 seats. The UWP claimed campaign improprieties and embarked on a wide range of protest actions, including boycott of Parliament. UWP's boycott lasted at least three unauthorized absences from Parliament for two of their three Elected Representatives in Parliament in violation of Parliamentary procedure, leading to their two seats being declared vacant and by-elections being called to fill them; by-elections were conducted for those two vacant seats in July 2010, and

10780-660: The seventh leaders' summit held in Hanoi . Canadian Jean-Louis Roy was secretary of the Agence de coopération culturelle et technique from 1989 until the formal creation of the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie in 1997 with former Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali as the first secretary-general of La Francophonie . Abdou Diouf , the former president of

10890-507: The steps set out in "Global Ireland", the Government's initiative to double the scope and impact of Ireland's global footprint in the period to 2025. Following the arrival of Boutros-Ghali, the OIF had also seen a steady increase in the number of its missions and priority action areas — peace and conflict prevention, human rights, democracy, international cooperation, sustainable development, cultural and linguistic diversity, education and training, youth, gender equality, civil society — bringing

11000-565: The students, the researchers and the professors. Its mission is to support the French language and the linguistic diversity within International Organisations . Every year the association coordinates the day of French language within International Organisations. It also organizes seminaries to increase awareness about the importance of linguistic, cultural and conceptual diversity. The president

11110-483: The subject of the Bamako declaration, are considered key to sustainable development. The Francophonie has chosen to provide its member countries with access to the expertise of its extensive intergovernmental, institutional, academic and non-governmental network with a view to building national capacities, resolving conflict and providing support for ending crises. In recent years, some participating governments, notably

11220-528: The traditional two-party arrangement of governing DFP and opposition DLP. "Third Force" soon formalized as the United Workers' Party (UWP) and selected as its leader Edison James, the former General Manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing Company. This was a strategic selection given James's prestige among banana farmers and his originating from the East or Atlantic Coast that had begun to feel alienated by

11330-454: The trans-Atlantic slave trade, the general population came to consist primarily of black-African slaves. In 1761, during the Seven Years' War in Europe, a British expedition against Dominica led by Andrew Rollo conquered the island, along with several other Caribbean islands. In 1763, France had lost the war and ceded the island to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris . The same year,

11440-458: Was elected president having only days before resigned as a Minister of Government. He is Dominica's eighth President. Tropical Storm Erika devastated the island in August 2015, killing 30 and causing severe environmental and economic damage. Dominica was again struck on 18 September 2017, suffering a direct landfall from Category 5 Hurricane Maria . Early estimates of damage suggested 90% of

11550-539: Was governed as part of the British Windward Islands . Caribbean islands sought independence from 1958 to 1962, and Dominica became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958. After the federation dissolved in 1962, Dominica became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967, and formally took responsibility for its internal affairs. On 3 November 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica

11660-539: Was granted independence as a republic , led by Prime Minister Patrick John . In mid-1979, political discontent with founding prime minister Patrick John's administration climaxed in a civilian coup and ended in the passage of a Motion of No Confidence in the House of Assembly, Dominica's legislature, against John, collapsing the John administration. A new, so-called "Interim Government" was formed under Dominica's second Prime Minister Oliver Seraphin ; Seraphin's main task

11770-474: Was re-elected in 2018 for a new five-year term. In December 2019, incumbent Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit won his fourth consecutive general election eighteen seats to three, becoming the first Dominica Prime Minister ever to do so. Dominica received its first Olympic gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris when Thea LaFond won the women's triple jump with a length of 15.02 metres. Dominica

11880-564: Was re-established in 1896. In World War I , many Dominicans, mainly the sons of small farmers, volunteered to fight in Europe for the British Empire. After the war, an upsurge of political consciousness throughout the Caribbean led to the formation of the Representative Government Association . Marshaling public frustration with the lack of a voice in governing Dominica, this group won one-third of

11990-666: Was suspended on 26 August 2008, pending democratic elections, after a military coup d'état . Madagascar 's membership was suspended in April 2009 due to an unconstitutional transfer of power on 17 March 2009. Mali's membership was also suspended in March 2012 due to a coup d'état , and then the Central African Republic was suspended at the 88th session of the CPF (March 2012), as well as Guinea-Bissau on 18 April 2012 for

12100-595: Was to prepare the country for fresh general elections constitutionally due in 1980, hence the unofficial title "Interim" Prime Minister. Seraphin organized and led a splinter of the Dominica Labour Party called the Democratic Labour Party into the 1980 general election and lost mainly because his nearly 13 month-long premiership was dominated by the fallout from Category Five Hurricane David , which caused 56 deaths and untold damage across

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