Michaelle Jean is new Francophone head

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Michaelle Jean, a former Governor of Canada has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the International Francophone Organization (OIF) grouping mainly French-speaking countries around the world. The confirmation of Ms. Jean’s appointment came at the end of a closed door meeting of OIF leaders in the Senegalese town of Diamniadio on Sunday.

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Ms. Jean who was born in 1957 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti takes over from Abdou Diouf who had led the organization since his election in 2002. In 1968, Ms Jean and her parents had emigrated to Canada like thousands of Haitians who were fleeing the autocratic regime of François Duvalier.

Her previous position as Canada’s 27th Governor General (almost the equivalent of a head of state) from 2005 to 2010, her charisma, and intricate web of interpersonal relations put her in good stead to rub shoulders with world leaders. After earning a baccalaureate, Ms Jean went on to complete a Master’s programe in Comparative Literature from the University of Montreal and later taught the Italian language and literature.

Three scholarships facilitated her pursuit of further studies in Italy’s Universities of Perouse and Florence and at the Catholic University of Milan. The new Francophone boss speaks fluent French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole and a smattering of Portuguese. Between 1988 and 2005, Michaelle Jean enjoyed a brilliant career in journalism being a TV host at the state-run Canadian television, the French-language Radio-Canada, and the CBC English network, Newsworld.

She is the recipient of a host of awards, including that of the National Assembly of Quebec. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophone recognized her merit by awarding her the title of Knight of the Order of Pleiades. On September 27, 2005, Michaelle Jean became the 27th Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, which was a crowning achievement for this fervent advocate of the Francophone world.

Various Canadian and foreign universities have awarded her honorary doctorates in recognition of her dedications. In 2009, the former Governor General of Canada was presented with Canada’s Prize of the United Nations Development Trust Fund to End Violence against Women – (UNIFEM) in recognition of her contribution to the advancement of gender equality.

In 2011, the International Network of Universities Fighting World Hunger launched the Michaelle Jean Emergency Hunger Relief Award to reward students who had distinguished themselves in the fight against hunger in times of humanitarian crisis. (starafrica-APA)