The OIF's secretary general Abdou Diouf echoed Charest's comments, describing the Quebec summit as "truly exceptional".

However, Charest stressed that the solution to the financial crisis must "take account the needs of developing countries".

The timing of the summit of la Francophonie allowed developing countries to express themselves about their economic concerns, he said.

Many African leaders have expressed their concerns over the crisis.

"(It) can easily turn into economic crisis, thus slowing economic activity in developing countries," said President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who attended the summit as a special guest, said that the crisis "not only shakes the key industrialized countries, but also affects developing countries future development."

"Their economic structural problems will be complicated with new threats and difficulties," he said.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper also urged the world's developed countries to fight protectionism on trade issues.

Harper said there are two things the world should not be doing during the crisis.

"One is allowing an unregulated banking system to spiral into collapse, but the other is to make sure we don't start slamming our doors to trade," he said.

Concerns over world food crisis, environment and climate change 

The leaders also pledged to help cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, while reaffirming its backing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.

Earlier in the day, Harper announced 100 million Canadian dollars (about 84 million US dollars) in aid for poorer countries most affected by global warming.

Developed countries such as Canada are in a position to help poorer nations, he said, adding the money will go especially to countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific.

The summit also affirmed its determination to "work together in international forum to support the nurture of a global partnership for food and agriculture, to further support for initiatives in this regard in developing countries, particularly in Africa.

Moreover, the French speaking nations vowed to raise the status and the use of French in the economic, social, cultural, tourist and scientific fields.

The Francophonie is the French-language equivalent of the Commonwealth and a summit is held every two years.

The 13th Francophonie summit will be held in Madagascar in 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2008)