#16 French in International Organizations｜French Language Column

French is still an important language in international organizations today.

Even in the modern era, when English is widely used as a global lingua franca, French continues to maintain a strong presence in fields such as diplomacy, law, international cooperation, and cultural exchange.

French has long been used in international discussions, treaties, and diplomatic negotiations. This history is closely connected to the position that French holds in modern international organizations.

In this article, I will explain the role of French in international organizations by looking at diplomacy, historical background, and its relationship with the United Nations and the European Union.

1. French Was Once an Important Language of Diplomacy

To understand the role of French in international organizations, you first need to know that French has a long history as a language of diplomacy.

In modern Europe, French held a very high status in courts, diplomacy, and intellectual circles. From the 17th to the 19th century in particular, French was widely used among Europe’s upper classes and diplomats.

One reason for this was that France had significant political and cultural influence at the time.

Especially during the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century, France was one of Europe’s leading powers. It had a strong presence in terms of military strength, economic power, and cultural influence, and the culture of the French court strongly influenced aristocratic societies across Europe.

As a result, French gradually became more than the language of a single country. It established itself as an international language of education, refinement, and diplomacy.

French was also considered suitable for diplomatic documents. After the long period in which Latin had been used in scholarship and diplomacy, French emerged as a more practical and refined modern language.

By the 18th century, many treaties, diplomatic letters, and official documents between states were written in French. It was also common for diplomats to use French as a shared language in negotiations.

A well-known example is the Congress of Vienna in 1815. This conference reorganized the European order after the Napoleonic Wars, and French was used as one of the main languages of diplomatic negotiation.

In the 20th century, however, the status of English rose rapidly as the influence of the United States expanded. English became dominant in fields such as international organizations, business, science, and technology.

Even so, the diplomatic tradition built by French did not disappear completely. The fact that French still holds an important position in the United Nations, the European Union, and international judicial institutions today is closely connected to this long historical background.

2. French in the United Nations

One of the most representative examples of French in international organizations is the United Nations.

At the United Nations, French is used as one of the official languages. The official languages of the UN are English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.

This shows that French is still recognized as one of the major languages of the international community.

At the UN, meetings and discussions involve many countries. For this reason, the organization does not operate in only one language. Instead, it uses multiple languages so that member states can participate in discussions more fairly.

Within this system, French plays an important role in speeches, official documents, interpretation, and translation. UN documents are produced in multiple languages so that representatives from different countries can understand the content through their own languages or through official UN languages.

Of course, English is used very frequently in modern international work. However, French continues to hold an official position within the UN system.

3. French as a Working Language

French is used as an official language and a working language in many international organizations.

The important point here is that an “official language” and a “working language” are not always the same.

An official language is a language formally recognized for use in meetings, official documents, and other formal contexts. A working language, on the other hand, is a language frequently used in daily operations, meeting management, document preparation, and practical communication.

French has played an important role in both respects.

For example, at the United Nations, French is one of the official languages and has long been treated as a major working language alongside English. In the recruitment and daily work of international organizations, being able to use French in addition to English can be a major advantage.

This is especially true in fields such as Africa-related affairs, Europe, international cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and diplomacy, where French is often needed.

This clearly shows the practical value of French. French is not simply a language for culture or literature. It is also a language used to communicate information, negotiate, and promote cooperation in the international community.

4. French in the European Union

French also holds an important position in the European Union.

The EU has many member states, each with its own language. Today, the EU recognizes 24 official languages, and laws and policy documents are made available in the languages of its member states.

Even in this multilingual environment, French has long been used as one of the main practical languages, alongside English and German.

Since the time of the European Communities, the predecessor of the EU, French was one of the central languages of administration and diplomacy. This is closely related to the central role France played in European integration. In fact, French influence can be clearly seen in the institutional design and early political discussions of the EU.

The locations of major EU institutions also support the importance of French.

Brussels, the capital of Belgium, where the European Commission and the European Council have major bases, is a city where French is one of the main languages. In addition, Luxembourg, where EU judicial institutions are based, and Strasbourg, where the European Parliament is based, are also French-speaking areas or regions with strong French influence.

For this reason, French is still used regularly among EU officials and diplomats.

Of course, English has become extremely influential in recent years. It is especially dominant in business and international conferences. Even so, the importance of French has not completely disappeared.

In fields such as legal drafting, diplomatic negotiation, and institutional operations, French remains important. In the interpretation of EU law and institutional discussions, French terminology accumulated over many years is still used today.

5. Francophonie and International Organizations

Francophonie refers to the countries and regions that share the French language, as well as the broader political, cultural, and economic connections created through French.

In other words, Francophonie is also a kind of international network. This geographical reach makes French a special language in international organizations.

One particularly important factor is the presence of French in Africa.

Today, many French speakers are concentrated in Africa, and this proportion is expected to increase further in the future. In fact, partly due to population growth, it is projected that Africa will become the center of the world’s French-speaking population.

Many of the issues handled by the United Nations and international cooperation organizations are deeply connected to African countries. For example, major themes addressed by international organizations include:

• Development assistance
• Educational support
• Medical assistance
• Humanitarian aid
• Peacekeeping operations

In these fields, French is often needed at a practical working level.

The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie is also an important international organization that supports Francophonie. Around 90 countries and regions participate in this organization, which promotes cooperation in a wide range of areas, including education, culture, democracy, and peacebuilding.

In other words, learning French is not simply about learning one foreign language. It also gives you access to a large international network connecting multiple regions, including Europe, North America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

6. Summary

French remains an important language in international organizations today. It is used as one of the official languages of the United Nations and also holds an important position in the European Union and international judicial settings.

The importance of French in international organizations is supported by several factors:

Even today, when English has great influence in international society, the value of French has not disappeared. Rather, by learning French in addition to English, you can gain a deeper understanding of the international community.

The presence of French in international organizations shows that French is not merely a foreign language, but an important language for connecting with the world.