The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) (Association of Francophone Universities) is a global network of French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1961, as the Association des Universités Partiellement ou Entièrement de Langue Française (AUPELF), the AUF is a multilateral institution supporting co-operation and solidarity among French-speaking universities and institutions. It operates in French-speaking and non-speaking countries of Africa, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, North and South America and the Caribbean, Central, Eastern and Western Europe. As of 2020, the AUF has 1,007 members (public and private universities, institutes of higher education, research centers and institutions, institutional networks, and networks