What fate awaits Quebecer Caroline St-Hilaire in Paris? The politician, former columnist and soon to be number two of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), will make her entry as an administrator in a climate of strong turbulence, which will require more than finesse and goodwill to get through them.
Caroline St-Hilaire succeeds Geoffroi Montpetit (who arrived after the hasty departure of Catherine Cano), who was mistakenly imagined to have left for another round. Herself re-elected in November, Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo took advantage of the transition to revamp the organization chart. The new administrator will inherit a reshuffled team according to the preferences of the number one. She will also be deprived of direct responsibility for the representations of the organization spread around the world, a charge that Mr.me Mushikiwabo repatriates to its fold.
Many observers were concerned to see the new administrator deprived of wings even before having set foot in Paris. In response to this outcry, largely restricted to Quebec, it should be noted, the management of the OIF reiterated its good faith by welcoming the successful candidate with open arms. We only ask to be convinced.
True that this role, even reviewed, will not be one of potiche or lapdog. There is room for manoeuvre. The number two indeed inherits a role of action which is not exempt from a certain political component. Mme St-Hilaire, whose diplomatic inexperience will require an accelerated catch-up, has these two aces up his sleeve. The fact remains that she receives a mandate strewn with pitfalls.
On a global scale, the OIF is miles away from its golden age, the fruit of the hard work of the very committed Secretary General Abdou Diouf and his number two at the time, the Quebecer Clément Duhaime. It took several years for this pair to provide the OIF with the solid international foundations that have made them their common signature. Since then, their legacy has withered away. It will take time and a lot of effort to restore the organization to its former glory.
The management of the OIF is aware of this. In an internal memo to employees obtained by The duty, General Secretary Louise Mushikiwabo speaks in particular of a “major challenge to be taken up together, that of human resources” (HR). We take her at her word, but we tick all the same. Radio-Canada has got hold of a survey that paints the portrait of an organization lacking in empathy and respect. No less than 44% of respondents think they have been victims of moral harassment at work, 9% of sexual harassment. Listening is also lacking: 46% claim not to have been able to speak, or at the very least to report a problematic situation. And among those who succeeded in doing so, 75% think that it did not lead to a solution or do not know what their speaking out could have done.
With more than four years of reign, Mme Mushikiwabo has questions to ask. This failed project is indeed his. Shortly after his arrival, a report by the firm KPMG had pointed to the absence of “social dialogue and listening to employees” within the OIF, as well as deficient and time-consuming HR. If there have been actions on his part since then, it must be concluded that there have been sword strokes in the water.
Also in this note, the Secretary General explains that the HR challenge will have to be met while supporting the transformation that should lead to “more resources for programming”, at the cost of a major budgetary effort to keep control of the costs of functioning. Feeling of deja vu? With good reason: these challenges were described almost as they are in the 2019 report.
This standstill and the tensions it arouses shield the essential mission of the OIF. In a world that digital assaults, single thought and cultural standardization undermine every day, the promotion of the French language is nevertheless a primordial, if not vital, impetus.
Strengthening the credibility and legitimacy of the organization vis-à-vis States and stakeholders is urgent. Mme Mushikiwabo and M.me St-Hilaire will have to quickly secure their steps. And it won’t be enough for them to reconnect with the spirit of collegiality that has so favored the Diouf-Duhaime duo, they will indeed have to find their own voice in a world that has since experienced profound changes.
The rise of Africa within the Francophonie is indisputable. China, which is seeking to extend its influence, has taken note of this. There is also a joker with the ruthless war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, a bruised country whose disastrous fate, as an observer member (like almost half of Europe, for that matter), also colors internal balances.
This acceleration of liberated African speech, coupled with frequent movements of multilateral blocs, could benefit Quebec. We must, moreover, take care not to forget this in our criticisms, even just, even necessary, of the OIF, which remains the only international refuge where our nation has the full power to speak out loud and clear in its own only name.