Phnom Penh, March 2026 — On the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie, celebrated on March 20, Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC) and the Alliance Française Siem Reap have signed a partnership agreement aimed at supporting an educational and cultural program dedicated to promoting the French language in public schools in the province of Siem Reap.

The agreement, signed by Thierry Tea, Vice President of OCIC, and Xavier Caillaud, Director of the Alliance Française of Siem Reap, marks the beginning of a three-year collaboration intended to encourage the learning of French through artistic and pedagogical initiatives aimed at young students.

The pilot project of this collaboration is the children’s opera “The Faithful Friend”, which serves as the starting point for a program combining cultural creation, pedagogical training, and educational activities centered around the French language. Two partner schools are participating in this project: the Wat Bo Primary School and the Norodom Monineath Sihanouk French International High School, thus enabling meetings and cultural exchanges between Cambodian and French students.

La Francophonie occupies a special place within the ecosystem of OCIC Group, which develop several francophone initiatives in Cambodia. Among these initiatives is notably the École Française Internationale de Phnom Penh (French International School), as well as various cultural and educational collaborations with francophone institutions. The group also has around fifty French-speaking employees working in different sectors of activity.

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Since 2018, the Alliance Française Siem Reap has been working to promote the French language and francophone cultures. Its educational offering, combined with a dynamic cultural program, encourages intercultural dialogue.

Through this partnership with the Alliance Française Siem Reap, OCIC reaffirms its attachment to the values of La Francophonie, education, cultural diversity and the sharing of knowledge, as well as its commitment to supporting initiatives contributing to international openness and to the development of younger Cambodian generations.