Phnom Penh (FN), Oct. 7 – Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni returned to Cambodia safe on Monday (Oct. 7) following his participation in the Nineteenth Francophonie Summit in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris held from 4-5 October 2024.

Under the theme "Create, Innovate and Do Business in French", the Summit was an opportunity for Heads of State and Government to discuss solutions to common challenges such as youth employment in French-speaking countries and territories. One of the Summit's aims is to set up a favourable climate for economic development that respects freedom of creation and entrepreneurship, another is to revitalise multilateralism, including through Francophone institutions.

At the Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Cambodia will host the 20th Francophonie Summit in 2026, according to Cambodian Foreign Ministry’s press release dated 5 October 2024.

Following this announcement, a short film was screened, offering an overview of Cambodia, a country where culture is a vector of development and where past and future blend harmoniously. King Sihamoni was then invited to deliver a closing speech, where he had, with emotion, the honor of accepting to host in Cambodia, the 20th Summit of the Francophonie in 2026.

Under the attentive and admiring gaze of the assembly, in complete silence, the king, in a speech marked by solemnity, expressed his sincere gratitude to all member countries for their support and assured that his government and his people were committed to making the 20th Summit of the Francophonie an exceptional moment of sharing, a celebration.
=FRESH NEWS