International Francophonie Day has been celebrated every March 20 since 1988, marking the anniversary of the signing of the Niamey Convention in Niger on that date in 1970, which established the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation — the forerunner of what later became the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), now comprising more than eighty member and observer states and governments worldwide. The day celebrates French as a language connecting culturally diverse peoples across Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and promotes cultural exchange and cooperation among French-speaking countries and those with historical and linguistic ties to the language. French embassies, cultural centers, and the OIF mark the occasion — sometimes extended into a full "Francophonie Month" — with literary, musical, and film events, language competitions, and discussions on linguistic and cultural diversity in a changing world.