23 June 2011, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – With the objective of offering counsel to key stakeholders within the leadership and political sectors, Club de Madrid Members Valdis Birkavs, Former Prime Minister of Latvia, and Peter Roman, Former Prime Minister of Romania, encourage acceptance of the steps taken in the newly developed Ethnic Concept initiated by the President´s Office. This Concept garnered national support during an important Kuraltai (people’s assembly) on June 18th convened by President Rosa Otunbaeva. Members emphasized that equally important is the implementation process of the Ethnic Concept in which many challenges will be faced and widespread support and consistent approaches to overcoming challenges must also be adopted.

Former members of the Iranian Parliament and current opposition thanked the Club de Madrid for its March 16 letter to Ayatollah Ali Khāmene’I through which it expressed its concern about the abduction of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mr. Mehdi Karoubi, former Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker of Iran and prominent candidates to the presidential elections, together with their respective wives. “Having received considerable echo within international and national media, this initiative was felt as a crucial support for all those fighting for freedom in Iran”, they say.   

Madrid, March 16th, 2011 – The Club de Madrid, concerned about the abduction of Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mr. Mehdi Karoubi, has taken action and has sent an open letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’I.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security: A local/regional strategy for the Greater Horn of Africa

19 October 2010. H.E. Valdis Birkavs, former Prime Minister of Latvia and Member of the Club of Madrid is leading a delegation to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for high-level work meetings organised in partnership with UNIFEM and UNECA on regional strategies for women, peace and security.

Roundtable briefings will gather senior officials of the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, including the recently appointed EU Special Representative for Sudan, Dame Rosalind Marsden –first and only woman in this position–, together with diplomatic representatives and the Group of 40 Women Leaders (G40). 

The Club of Madrid, Isis-WICCE and Institute for Security Studies organized a Strategy Workshop to reflect on the performance of Sudan’s first multiparty elections since 1986 (April 11-13, 2010) and draw lessons for promoting good practice in electoral conflict management across a variety of census, campaign financing, media, security and campaigning issues. The 2-day high-level mission was led by our Member Valdis Birkavs (26-27 May, 2010).

High Level Mission to Nairobi (Kenya) with our Members Birkavs and Bondevik

Valdis Birkavs led a high level mission to Djibouti (8-10 Dec) to enhance processes to foster African women’s participation in conflict resolution and peace building. During the mission, the Club of Madrid and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa agreed further cooperation on the Women, Peace and Security Project.

The main annual event of the organization, held in Madrid on 12-13 November 2009, concluded with a call for more and better democracy that delivers.