The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) is an organization, a legal person under international public law, created in 1970, bringing together 88 states or governments in 2018. Its mission is to promote the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, to promote peace, democracy and human rights, to support education and research and to develop cooperation.

The OIF leads an action in favor of the French language and the cooperation between its members. Until 1986, the date of the first Summits of the Francophonie, it managed technical and cultural actions. Its scope of missions was then extended to multilateral cooperation actions, in accordance with the four major missions set by the Francophonie Summits: the promotion of the French language and of cultural and linguistic diversity; the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights; support for education, training, higher education and research; and the development of cooperation for sustainable development.

The evolution of the OIF's missions should be seen in relation to the number and diversity of its member states and governments, and in particular the number of non-French speaking states within it. Within the member governments, several voices have been raised among the defenders of the Francophonie to ask the OIF to refocus on its primary missions, pointing to the risk of spreading its activities too thinly. These voices have been expressed in particular in the context of the OIF's work in the field of education. They were particularly vocal on the sidelines of the 2018 Francophonie Summit in Ottawa, on the occasion of the election of the new OIF secretary general.

In France, two comprehensive reports assess the actions and missions of the OIF in 2017. The Senate produced an information report on the Francophonie in which it recommended that language remain the core business of the OIF. The evaluation report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development concludes that France's contribution to the OIF is justified, even if the framework can be improved.

WHO and IOF signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 14, 2021 to intensify collaboration and improve access to health services in francophone countries. Promoting equity in COVID-19 vaccines, combating malaria, and moving toward universal health coverage are key elements.

IOF has a permanent delegation to the United Nations in Geneva.