The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) (Francophone University Association) is a global network of French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Founded in Montreal, 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 the French-speaking countries of Africa, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. The AUF has 812 members (public and private universities, institutes of higher education, research centers and institutions, institutional networks, and networks of university administrators) distributed throughout francophone countrie