Francophonie is an international organization of polities and government with French as their official language wherein a significant proportion of people are francophones (French speakers) or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture. Formerly this organization is known as Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) or the International Organization of the Francophonie. This organization comprises of 56 member states and government, 3 associate members and 14 observers. Francophonie refers to a particular a global community of French speaking people. This comprises of a network of private and public organizations promoting special ties among all Francophones.
The prerequisite for admission to the Francophonie is not the degree of French usage in the member countries, but a prevalent presence of French culture and language in the member country's identity, usually stemming from France's colonial ambitions with other nations in its history. French geographer Onésime Reclus, brother of Élisée Reclus, coined the word Francophonie in 1880 to refer to the community of people and countries using the French language. Francophonie was then coined a second time by Léopold Sédar Senghor, founder of the Négritude movement, in the review Esprit in 1962, who assimilated it into Humanism. In 1970 the modern organization was created. The Francophonie has started as a small club of the northern French speaking countries, now it is evolved as a full fledged global organization whose several branches cooperate with its member states in the different fields like culture, science, economy, justice, and peace.