• New Zealand – Meeting between M. Fabius and his counterpart (Paris, 11 March 2015)
• Development – “France commits to the South” programme (Paris, 10 March 2015)
• Economic diplomacy – First SME international support forum (Paris, 11 March 2015)
• Cultural network news – United Arab Emirates – La Fémis summer school
New Zealand – Meeting between M. Fabius and his counterpart (Paris, 11 March 2015)
On 11 March, M. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will have a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart, Mr Murray McCully.
During the meeting, M. Fabius and Mr McCully will work on preparations for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.
They will discuss the prospects for strengthening our bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and commercial spheres.
The ministers will also take stock of the main international issues, on which our two countries are cooperating closely, particularly at the United Nations Security Council, where New Zealand has had a seat since 1 January 2015.
Development – “France commits to the South” programme (Paris, 10 March 2015)
The French President decided this morning to extend the “France commits to the South” programme beyond our borders, to reward social innovations from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
The programme was launched in 2014 and enables citizens’ initiatives to be supported. Hitherto it had only applied to France.
The programme will be led by Mme Annick Girardin, Minister of State for Development and Francophony. It will be provided with a budget of €500,000 a year. The prizewinners will be selected in September 2015.
For more information, see: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr or Twitter: @LaFrancesengage
Economic diplomacy – First SME international support forum (Paris, 11 March 2015)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development will tomorrow host the first SME international forum.
Nearly 500 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are expected at this first meeting in Paris, led by M. Matthias Fekl, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad. All the stakeholders concerned - Business France, BPI France, local authorities, chambers of commerce and industry, and professional organizations including the MEDEF and the CGPME – will be present to answer entrepreneurs’ questions. Testimony from SMEs is planned, as well as workshops run by coordinators from the six priority export families (agrifood, health, sustainable cities, information technology, tourism, and the cultural and creative industries). An “export pathway” will be presented to all the participants.
Following the forum, an action plan will be proposed to strengthen the international dimension of France’s economic fabric on the basis of our sector-related and geographical priorities.
This innovative project, based on shared experience, is part of the practical economic diplomacy benefiting our businesses that M. Laurent Fabius wants to see.
For more information, see: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr
Cultural network news – United Arab Emirates – La Fémis summer school
In a few days’ time, jointly with our embassies in Kuwait and Qatar, the French Embassy in the United Arab Emirates will launch the second Fémis summer school for young film-makers from the Gulf.
The first summer school last year enabled some 10 novice directors from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to be trained at La Fémis, one of the world’s best film schools. About 10 young film-makers will also be selected this year to take part in a six-week workshop in Paris in the summer of 2015.
Funded by local public and private partners, the initiative enables the film-making community in the Gulf region to be supported. As a significant economic sector as much as a tool of cultural influence, cinema is a priority area of our cooperation policy.