Canadian candidate Michaelle Jean, a former governor general of Canada, was chosen as the next head of the international organization of Francophone nations (OIF) at a summit in Senegal on Sunday, the OIF said in a statement.

The 57-year-old Jean, who came to Canada in her childhood as a refugee from her native Haiti, will take over the reins of the organization in January, becoming the first woman to lead it. She is currently the chancellor of the University of Ottawa.