The International Francophone Press Union is a Francophone

Francophone

The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

 association of journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

s. Founded in 1950, it is the world's oldest Francophone organisation,
and has more than 3,000 members in 110 countries.

History

The association was founded in 1950 in Limoges

Limoges

Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 on the initiative of Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 journalist Émile-Dostaler O'Leary

Émile-Dostaler O'Leary

Émile-Dostaler O'Leary was a Canadian journalist and writer.-Biography:O'Leary was born in Berthierville, Quebec on 16 August 1908...

, who served as the organisation's first president.
It formally changed its name from Union internationale des journalistes et de la presse de langue français (International Union of French-language Journalists and Press) to Union internationale de la presse francophone on October 24, 2001, at its 33rd meeting in Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

.

Activities

The UPF's aim is to advance cooperation between the Francophone media of the world. Although initially a venue for French-speaking journalists to convene, over time the UPF became a professional union. It is an international nongovernmental organisation recognised by the European Parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

, La Francophonie

La Francophonie

Francophonie is an international organization of politics and governments with French as the mother or customary language, where a significant proportion of people are francophones , or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture.Formally known as the Organisation...

, and the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, among others.

Prix de la libre expression

In 1991, the association (at the time still known as the UIJPLF), in cooperation with La Francophonie, created the Prix de la libre expression (Prize for Freedom of Expression).
The prize is awarded annually to journalists who remain objective

Objectivity (journalism)

Parent article: Journalism ethics and standardsObjectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities.- Definitions :In the context...

 despite harassment or persecution. Past recipients of the prize include Michel Auger

Michel Auger

For the political columnist see Michel C. Auger. For the politician see Michel Auger Michel Auger is a Canadian journalist...

 (2000), Le Rénovateur

Le Rénovateur

Le Rénovateur is the only French-language newspaper in the Lao PDR . It is published weekly by the Lao Press in Foreign Languages, which is a specialised agency of the Ministry of Information and Culture...

(2003), and May Chidiac

May Chidiac

May Chidiac is a Lebanese Christian Maronite journalist.Chidiac is a former television journalist at the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation and one of the station's main television anchors until an assassination attempt on her life...

 (2005).

Leadership

As of August 2008, Alfred Dan Moussa

Alfred Dan Moussa

Alfred Dan Moussa is an Ivorian journalist.As of August 2008, Dan Moussa is the president of the International Francophone Press Union.He came to this post in 2007,succeeding Hervé Bourges,a former president of Radio France Internationale....

 of Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

is the president of the UPF.