Editing Foreign relations of Senegal (section)

=== African and Malagasy Common Organization (1961-1985) ===
The [[African and Malagasy Common Organization]] or the Organization Commune Africaine et Malgache (OCAM) was an international organization that encompassed much of [[French West Africa|Francophone West]] and [[Central Africa]] and [[Madagascar]] from 1961 to 1985.<ref name=":3222"/> It was originally established as the [[African and Malagasy Union|Union Africaine et Malgache]] in 1961, with the support of France, for the purpose of greater economic, political, and social integration of French-speaking West Africa.<ref name=":3222"/> At its height from 1961 to 1973, the organization included 14-15 members and changed names several times before finally settling on the African, Malagasy, and Mauritian Common Organization (OCAMM).<ref name=":3222"/><ref name=":522">{{Cite journal |last=Ekue |first=Albert |date=1968 |title=L'Organisation Commune Africaine et Malgache |journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=421–425 |doi=10.1017/S0022278X00017547 |jstor=159312 |s2cid=154661552 |issn=0022-278X}}</ref> After 1973, member states began to leave the organization because of the lack of substantive work and integration of its governing bodies, especially following the establishment of the [[Organisation of African Unity|Organization of African Unity]] (later the African Union) in 1963 which had a broader Pan-African focus and mandate.<ref name=":3222"/>

Senegal was a member of OCAM from its founding to its eventual dissolution in 1985 and was instrumental in its development. President Senghor, in particular, was a major supporter of the organization because of his policy of " la Francophonie" or the integration of French-speaking Africa.<ref name=":522" /> Senegal remains a member of several of the institutions that were initially created by the Conference of Heads of State while OCAM was still functional, including the African and Malagasy Council on Higher Education (CAMES).<ref name=":3222"/>