The Club of Madrid constitutes the world’s largest forum of former Presidents and Prime Ministers and offers today’s leaders an unequalled body of knowledge and political leadership.

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Copenhagen: Climate Deal Not Climate Market - 10 June 2009 - This article is pertinent to the Bonn climate change negotiations taking place at this very moment and for the rest of the week. Authors are Benjamin Mkapa, Member of the Club of Madrid and Former President Tanzania, and Alexander Likhotal, Executive Vice-President of the Gorbachev Foundation of North America (GFNA) and President... [More]

World Leaders Call for Inmediate Action on Adaptation - Bonn, Germany, 9 June 2009 - A task force of former heads of state and government and business and civil society leaders from more than 20 countries today released “Facilitating an International Agreement on Climate Change: Adaptation to Climate Change.”  The report, issued by Global Leadership for Climate Action (GLCA), a partnership of... [More]

Club de Madrid Does Urgent Appeal for Climate Justice - Oslo, 5 June 2009 - Climate change is and will continue to cause a humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed in the context of the post-2012 agreement to be negotiated in Copenhagen this coming December. To ensure climate justice, it is imperative that any outcome and actions to be agreed under the new agreement shall be underpinned by... [More]

Africa Needs Massive Assistance to be Proactive Parts of the Climate Change Solution - Oslo & Madrid, 5 June 2009 - Some people have seen a lot. Benjamin MKAPA, Former President, Tanzania, is one of them. He is among four Members of the Club of Madrid present at the "Green Technology and Finance: Striking a Fair Climate Deal" conference hosted by Bellona and the Club of Madrid today... [More]

21 May 2009 - The Club de Madrid condemn in the strongest terms possible, the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Laureate and Honorary Member of our institution. Her arrest, under what are seriously unjustified charges raised against her by the Burmese military junta, come in direct defiance of a United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement issued 11 October 2007, calling on the Burma's junta to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese junta has not only almost doubled the number of political prisoners, but now also imprisoned and charged Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching the terms of her house arrest -- which was to end in a few days. The charges carry a maximum jail term of five years. The Members of the Club of Madrid have issued a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon asking him to take any and all steps necessary to press the Burmese junta for the immediate release of its Member. [Letter]

"The challenges of the current crisis are systemic and far from limited to financial institutions. We face an unprecedented opportunity to rethink the entrenched ways in which leaders have been doing things and to promote reforms to achieve a more democratic model.

It is time for everyone to roll up those sleeves and get to work."

Ricardo Lagos, Club of Madrid President and Former President of Chile  

The members of the Club of Madrid issued a call to action to world leaders to intensify efforts at the national and local level to ensure that social cohesion and shared societies become a key priority in how they lead and govern. The Club of Madrid, made up of 72 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 51 countries, issued the Call to Action at the conclusion of its Global Forum on Leadership for Shared Societies gathering in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 13-14 November 2008.
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Fairness Must Drive Negotiations for Climate Change to Change - Oslo & Madrid, 4 June 2009 - Some of the world’s leading environmental policy and business experts have gathered in Sarpsborg, a tiny town outside Oslo, to talk about what needs to be done to make the world a bit more fair — at least when it comes to climate change matters. And fairness is the driving subject of the Green Technology... [More] 

Unlocking the potential of Yemeni women through the strengthening of their leadership capabilities - Sana’a (Yemen), May 31-June 1- Over thirty Yemeni women leaders from political parties, academia, government institutions and civil society organizations, participated in the Club of Madrid’s two-day workshop aimed at strengthening their leadership capacities. . Member Jennifer... [More] 

Join Us in Marking International Day of Cultural Diversity - The Club de Madrid invites world leaders and civil society to mark International Day of Cultural Diversity, celebrated worldwide Thursday, 21 May, by supporting its Call for Action on Leadership for Shared Societies. It requires leaders to intensify efforts to ensure that social cohesion become a key priority in how they lead and govern [More]

The Club of Madrid undertakes and participates in projects related to its core mission of promoting and defending democracy.  It seeks to utilize the first-hand experience of its members and the expertise of its advisors on projects that have a practical focus and clear agenda.

Shared Societies Project: Democratic Leadership for Dialogue, Diversity and Social Cohesion- Development of effective political leadership strategies for social cohesion is the focus of this major Club of Madrid program. It comes in response to a widespread call from leaders for effective policies and practices that will improve social inclusion and increase community dialogue. [More] [One Pager]

Energy and Democracy - With an immediate commitment to action, a sustainable energy future is possible and could be achieved at relatively low cost, with the needed political will and collaboration between developed and developing countries. This program is based on the fact that energy is central to sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts, as it is a key element of human development. [More]

Democracy, Security and Terrorism – We aim to promote a vision of a world founded on democratic values and committed to effective co-operation in the fight against terrorism. Since it is a global phenomenon requiring a global response, we convened the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security in 2005, to develop an international strategy for confronting terrorism through democratic means. [More]

General Assemblies and Annual Conferences - The General Assembly is the supreme governing body of the Club of Madrid, composed of all the Members of the Club. It meets at least once a year and is responsible for approving reports, budgets, recruitment of new members and the Club’s various activities and projects. A conference on a subject of interest takes place around the General Assembly. [More]

Political Leadership for Democratic Development - The Club of Madrid has received numerous requests to address urgent needs to assist leaders in the construction of an efficient democracy. Our goal is to continue to consider these requests cooperating with governments in these countries with the support of other international parties. [More]

As I take on the role of President of the Club de Madrid, I would like to begin by paying tribute to my predecessors for the monumental task that has meant leading a global team dedicated heart and soul to promoting democracy around the world since it was founded in 2002... [More]