FUA / AUF The French Speaking University Agency w w w a u f o r g The French Language, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Fostering appreciation for the French language in universities and promoting cultural diversity are two complementary objectives Both involve bringing to fruition the French language’s inventiveness and means of production, while also bringing out the aspects that unite it with the world’s other languages and cultures The programme provides active support to French departments, language centres and French-language degree programmes, instructor-researchers and student researchers, to develop teaching and research about French and in French, about its partner languages and, lastly, about intercultural communication in development Its action is based on the work of seven networks of researchers, a didactics collective and vehicles for information and think-tank sharing Research Networks and Inter-Network Collective  Research Network Diversity in Cultural and Artistic Forms of Expression, and Globalisation http://www.cids.auf.org/  Research Network Studying French in French-Speaking Countries http://www.eff.auf.org/  Research Network Lexicology, Terminologie, Traduction http://www.ltt.auf.org/  Research Network Children’s Literature http://www.lde.auf.org/  Research Network French-Language Literature from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean http://www.critaoi.auf.org/  Research Network Observation of French and National Languages http://www.odf.auf.org/  Research Network Sociolinguistics and Language Dynamics http://www.sdl.auf.org/  Inter-Network Collective on Language Didactics The French Language, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity The research network on electronic information and communications technologies, RES@TICE, managed by the “Support for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in Developing Higher Learning and Research” programme also includes language researchers Means of Communication  FRAMONDE, a specialised mailing list with over 000 subscribers: http://listes.auf.org/mailman/listinfo/liste-framonde Community Newsletter Le franỗais l'universitộ: 4000 copies times per year http://www.bulletin.auf.org/index.html  The French Language, Cultural Diversity and Linguistics Research Network Newsletter is sent to over 200 researchers focusing on cultures, languages and literature: http://www.auf.org/IMG/bulletin-num-0-dec-2005.pdf TO CONTACT THE PROGRAMME: francais-langue@auf.org Aspects of Rule of Law and Democracy The French-speaking world aims to make a significant contribution to promoting peace and democracy and supporting the rule of law and human rights By establishing an agenda dedicated in particular to:  contributing to the development of a democratic culture by supporting university education in the legal and political sciences;  building up a French-language research area, both regionally and internationally, taking into account the wide variety of legal systems and standards that exist across the French-speaking world; Aspects of Rule of Law and Democracy This topical programme run by the Francophone University Agency (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, AUF) is being implemented as a series of multilateral actions in education and research, relating to the aforementioned objectives In addition to the support provided to 11 French-speaking university degree programmes and open distance educational programmes, research networks also receive support from the Francophone University Agency: Basic Rights Network  Coordinator: Monsieur Ghislain OTIS School of Law University of Laval (Canada) E-mail: ghislain.otis@fd.ulaval.ca Web site: http://www.df.auf.org Rule of Law Philosophy Network  Coordinator: Monsieur Stéphane DOUAILLER University of Paris VIII (France) E-mail: s.douailler@free.fr Web site: http://www.edph.auf.org Right to Healthcare Network  Coordinator: Monsieur Pierre LUNEL University of Paris VIII (France) E-mail: samson2@hei.unige.ch Web site: http://www.ds.auf.org Gender, Rights and Citizenship Network  Coordinator: Madame Amsatou SOW-SIDIBE Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal) E-mail: amsa@refer.sn Web site: http://www.gdc.auf.org Aspects of Rule of Law and Democracy Support for Information and Communications Technologies in Developing Higher Education and Research Human Capacity-Building through Education Open Distance Learning: http://www.auf.org/formation-distance  In 2006-2007, support for 46 open and distance learning programmes (undergraduate, graduate, doctorate), including seven from Africa Assistance and advice in creating distance learning programmes in universities in the South and East Funding for distance learning subsidies for those wishing to take part in such degree programmes Vocational Training Workshops and Linux Centres: http://www.transfer-tic.org - http://www.centre-linux.org  Designing and organising training workshops in Linux network administration, information systems, educational technologies (content production, instructional principles for distance learning) Training in open software.6 Linux and open software centres for development are currently up and running Support for Information and Communication Reducing the Digital Divide by Improving the Connectivity of Universities in the South http://www.auf.org/rubrique16.html  Designing and running a network of French-speaking digital campuses, under joint management with a host university They offer a variety of educational programmes (workshops, distance learning) in scientific and technological information, and a high-level digital working environment The 42 digital work areas have been established in French-speaking universities offering education to the broadest audience possible Developing a Policy on Scientific Content in the French Language http://www.infotheque.info - http://www.coursenligne.refer.org http://www.catalogue.auf.org/ - http://www.sist-sciencesdev.net  Funding for electronic scientific periodicals on tender basis (35 periodicals)  Electronic dissemination of scientific content: search international databanks, provide basic documents, digital library  Inventory of university teaching resources (4 500 sets of course material)  Publication of university teaching manuals and summary works covering basic subject matter (200 works)  Funding for online courses by instructors from the South and the East Fostering Research (Research Networks, Watchtower), and French-Speaking Representatives on International Committees (Standardisation, Regulation) http://www.resatice.org  Creating a research network on ICTs for instructional use  Participation in international standardisation and governance bodies  Information Society Watchtower TO CONTACT THE PROGRAMME: technologies-information@auf.org Support for Information and Communication Supporting and Building University Excellence This programme supports universities and scientific institutions from the South and East, as they:  tailor their educational and research offerings to the needs of their environment,  strive for excellence,  become major players in the development of their country and region Its initiatives are designed along broad lines: Supporting the institutional reforms launched by universities in the South to modernise their structures, create or foster the environment required to develop and enable capacity-building  Support for strengthening university governance http://www.auf.org/article304.html Under this programme component, support is given to all areas of degree programme harmonisation, assessment, accreditation, resource management, optimisation, etc It is of particular value as the universities of the South work toward a harmonisation, with the “LMD” (licence, Master’s, doctorate) system, the resulted of the so-called “Bologna” process • international conferences, attended by a total of over 200 school board directors and university rectors from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe or North Africa, have been held as of today, focusing on: > “University Governance” (Dakar, 2003), > “Reforms in Higher Education in North African Countries and the Outlook for the Bologna Process” (Marseilles, 2004), Support for Information and Communication > “University Governance and the Development of the Caribbean (Martinique, 2005), > “African Universities in a Globalised World of Changing Universities” (Yaoundé, 2005), > in partnership with the World Bank: “Universities in French-Speaking Africa and the Use of Knowledge to Serve Development: Learning from Success Stories” (Dakar-Saly, 2005) • An international conference, organised in conjunction with the World Bank and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will focus on the topic : “Higher Education at the Heart of Development Strategies in French-Speaking Africa: Better Understanding the Keys to Success” (Ouagadougou, June 2006) Strengthening exchange through movement for individuals and networking between institutions  mobility for students, teachers and researchers (scholarships, teaching assignments, etc.): http://www.auf.org/article24.html The AUF grants 2.500 international mobility scholarships each year to help the neediest universities, so that they may develop their scientific resources Encouragement is given for mobility involving applicants from the South to establishments in the South or North, or applicants from the North to establishments in the South The Francophone University Agency (AUF) offers a range of scholarships: • for students (60% of the mobility programme): masters, doctorate, internships (vocational, etc.); • for teachers and researchers (40% of the mobility programme): post-doctoral research, scientific refresher courses, educational refresher courses, teaching assignments, participation in scientific events Support for Information and Communication  The mobility programme’s impact has been felt in a number of areas: • promoting women (40% of mobility programme) • a primarily regional policy (75% of mobility programme) • a policy in favour of Southern institutions: > 85% of mobility participants come from the South, > 100% of mobility participants from the North go to the South • the academic community of the future: 500 thesis students, 150 post-doctoral students • expressing solidarity between universities: > 500 assignments, 70% of which were in the South, > 200 teacher-researchers in the South in refresher courses  mobilisation of institution networks: • support for Regional Conferences of School Board Directors and/or university rectors from the South and East http://www.auf.org/article317.html > Conference of Rectors from French-Speaking African and Indian Ocean Universities (CRUFAOCI), > Conference of Rectors from Southeast Asia (CONFRASIE), > Conference of Rectors and University Rectors from the Caribbean (CORPUCA), > Conference of Rectors from Central and Eastern Europe (CONFRECO) • Support for institutional networks (networks of schools and establishments grouped by speciality area): http://www.auf.org/article318.html > 14 institutional networks, all standing members of AUF, in Agronomics, Planning and Urban Development, Law, Instructor Training, Journalism, Literature and Humanities, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmaceuticals, Management Sciences, Information and Communication Sciences, Engineering Sciences, and Sciences and Technologies, for a total of nearly 700 establishment heads in 60 countries Support for Information and Communication Promoting excellence in the sciences for French-speaking universities and researchers in the South There exist, in a number of Southern university institutions, places where excellence has been achieved in the sciences, to an international standard The AUF’s aims also include promoting that excellence so that it can be spread and shared at both the regional and international levels  Support for regional excellence centres (PER): http://www.auf.org/article25.html The AUF’s support in this area is intended to improve universities with high scientific value in the South, help them mobilise a regional skills network in the sciences and share the resources available to them University cooperation programmes in other regions, particularly in the North, can also take part, and are invited to contribute to the high-level scientific sharing underway and the influence it has on the region around it 16 excellence centres were given support between 2003 and 2006, with most (10) found in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean region A new application period will be opened in 2006  Support for inter-university scientific projects (PCSI): http://www.auf.org/article106.html Every years, based on an international call for applications, the AUF supports research and/or educational projects with an impact on development in the South The projects are carried out by a network of at least three universities from different countries, at least one of which must come from the South The programme encourages the participation of young people and women 75 projects, currently being funded, come from the last international call for projects  Access to scientific awards for scientists from the South: http://www.auf.org/article93.html • The “French-Speaking World’s Awards for Young Researchers” are given out every two years by the AUF’s Scientific Board, in main fields: > sciences and medicine, 10 Support for Information and Communication > the humanities and social sciences • The AUF also gives out another distinction for career achievement by Southern researchers: the “El Fasi” Award, • Lastly, the AUF facilitates the participation of Southern researchers in international scientific competitions  support for scientific events (colloquia, etc.) : http://www.auf.org/article323.html Nearly 100 events supported each year, with: • the participation of nearly 400 scientists from the South and East contributing to the event (addresses in French, subsequently published in the event proceedings), • proceedings published and circulated in French (preferably via electronic means, CD-rom or Internet), • the French language promoted in multi-lingual scientific events (translation, interpretation, etc.) Developing Partnerships http://www.auf.org/rubrique25.html Highly regarded for its operational presence on every continent and its ability to mobilise its network of several hundred higher education and research establishments across the world, the AUF is called upon on a regular basis to: • lead cooperation projects, • perform technical studies or assessments, • provide services relating to information and communications technologies, • network development players from all horizons Its partners are those who make development a reality: governments, international organisations, local governments (decentralised cooperation), enterprises and trade communities 11 Support for Information and Communication The partnerships give rise to such concrete outcomes as:  cooperation contracts (delegated actions), for which organisations of all kinds may call upon it: • supporting reforms in higher education in Africa, in partnership with the World Bank, • developing a university degree programme in IT at the University of Georgia, in partnership with the Yonne General Council, • revamping education in the sciences in Cambodia, through a partnership with the Rodolphe Mérieux Foundation, etc  experimentation with original cooperation methods designed and proposed by training and research institutions to better respond to changes in development today (innovative actions): • helping institutions from Northern Africa and the Middle East participate in the European Union’s financing programmes (partners: the European Union Commission), • supporting universities and researchers in the scientific and technological Diaspora based in North America: > building a regional educational network on the agro-food industry in the Middle East, > mobilising “volunteers – senior citizens” to serve cooperation in the sciences, etc  encounters between companies that invest in developing countries and the human, academic and scientific resources of the South: • creating employment departments designed as a service to companies as they hire and a means of supporting students entering the working world (http://def.auf.org) TO CONTACT THE PROGRAMME: renforcement-universites@auf.org 12 Support for Information and Communication Environment and Solidarity-Based Sustainable Development Sustainable development, defined as “ development that meets the needs of the present without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet theirs ” is the objective assigned to all of our societies by the international community Development of that kind is not viable unless conceived of in a spirit of solidarity and sharing with the neediest populations Sustainable solidarity-based development, listed by the 10th Ouagadougou Summit as a priority under the 10-Year Programme set out by French-speaking nations, is ideally framed in the AUF’s missions Education, research and capacity-building in science and technology, particularly in favour of student and instructor-researchers from Southern countries, play a fundamental part in the AUF’s multilateral cooperation strategy and the actions of the “Environment and Solidarity-Based Sustainable Development” Programme The fields of activity covered by the programme are directly related to the major issues in today’s world: energy, water, climate, biodiversity, pollution, socio-economic imbalances, food safety and others Tools Developed Degree Programmes The French-language university degree programmes designed in this area (55 in 2006) are offered at the graduate and post-graduate levels They mobilise local instructors and consortiums of French-speaking universities from the North around scientific or vocational education programmes leading to degrees The best students may enter doctoral programmes in the universities belonging to the consortia 13 Environment and Solidarity-Based Sustainable Development Institutes The Institutes of the French-Speaking World: • Administration and Management in Sofia: http://www.ifag.auf.org/ • Entrepreneurship in Maurice: http://www.ife.auf.org/ • Tropical Diseases in Vientiane: http://www.ifmt.auf.org/ were designed to contribute to the development of countries in the regions where they were established They offer vocational or doctoral (Master’s) education in innovative areas and come in response to specific regional needs Instruction is provided mainly by lecturers (professors and researchers) from French-speaking countries on assignment, or experts from the region’s professional and business community Research Networks In order to boost cooperation (North-South, East-West, South-South) between the researchers, laboratories and research teams that use French as their working language, the AUF has set up topical research networks Run by an International Scientific Committee, they provide support to multilateral research efforts (50 initiatives in 2006), organise regional conferences and Science Days (8 events in 2006) and contribute to developing scientific and technological information tools in the French language (manuals, monographs, proceedings from science days, Web sites, newsletters, databanks and directories) 14 Environment and Solidarity-Based Sustainable Development The research networks active within the programme are:  Research Network Economic Analysis and Development: http://www.aed.auf.org  Research Network Plant-Based Biotechnologies: Improving Plant and Food Safety: http://www.bioveg.auf.org  Research Network Demographics: http://www.demographie.auf.org  Research Network Entrepreneurship: http://www.entrepreneuriat.auf.org  Research Network Environment and Sustainable Development: http://www.edd.auf.org  Research Network Erosion and Cautionary Management of Water and Soils: http://www.egces.auf.org  Research Network Process Engineering Applied to the Agro-Food Industry: http://www.gp3a.auf.org  Research Network Parasite and Vector-Borne Diseases: http://www.mpv.auf.org  Research Network Remote Sensing: http://www.reseautd.auf.org TO CONTACT THE PROGRAMME: developpement-environnement@auf.org 15 Environment and Solidarity-Based Sustainable Development Conception : Signature Graphique 01 49 29 43 20 • Juin 2006 Agence universitaire de la Francophonie .. .The French Language, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Fostering appreciation for the French language in universities and promoting cultural diversity are two complementary... Research Network Sociolinguistics and Language Dynamics http://www.sdl.auf.org/  Inter-Network Collective on Language Didactics The French Language, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity The research network... the World Bank and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will focus on the topic : “Higher Education at the Heart of Development Strategies in French- Speaking Africa: Better Understanding the