Kok, Wim
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The Club de Madrid and the Maastricht School of Management hosted a Shared Societies International Workshop on “Can the Economics of Shared Societies Support more Resilient Economies and Global Sustainability?“ in Maastricht, The Netherlands, on 28th, 29th and 30th of March 2012.
The Club de Madrid was invited to co-launch the OECD’s Report on Perspectives on Global Development 2012: Social Cohesion in a Shifting World on November 21st in Paris.
Member Wim Kok, President of the Club de Madrid, opened the event together with Pier Carlo Padoan, Deputy Secretary-General and Chief Economist of the OECD. Both acknowledged the mutual interest of this collaboration.
Interview to Ricardo Lagos, Member of the Club de Madrid, in RFI Español (Only available in Spanish)
The Club de Madrid organized together with the Friederich Ebert Stiftung on 10 November 2011 a debate on the issues at stake of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development on the UN Headquarters in NY.
Four Members of the Club de Madrid, Wim Kok (Prime Minister of The Netherlands, 1994-2002), Jennifer Mary Shipley (Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1997-1999), Ricardo Lagos (President of Chile , 2000-2006), and Luisa Diogo (Prime Minister of Mozambique, 2004-2010), offered their point of view of the key issues under the UNCSD negotiation process.
Last November 9th, at the Club de Madrid Gala Dinner sponsored by Telefónica, President Bill Clinton was given the organization’s Democratic Leadership Award. The gala celebrated the Club de Madrid’s tenth anniversary, and took place in New York City. The award recognizes a leader’s commitment to the consolidation of democratic values, human rights and good governance, and the promotion of sustainable, socio-economic development through democratic means, all of which represent the core values of the Club de Madrid.
Paris, 9 September 2011 – In view of the grave and anxious economic and political situation the world is presently experiencing, the next G20 summit will pay particular attention to the search for and application of solutions to these issues. At this summit, 19 countries will arrange to meet, as well as the European Union, as an economic bloc, which represents 85% of the world’s economy and two thirds of the world’s population.
The Club of Madrid is joining forces in this effort through its G20 initiative. With the support of the French Presidency of the G20 and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Club of Madrid organised during the 8 – 9 September a high level meeting in Paris, with the objective of evaluating and debating the most pressing and urgent affairs currently gripping the world today, ones which are considered vital for the G20 to address.
Download the recommendations presented by the Club of Madrid’s members to President Sarkozy
The Club de Madrid Members delegation participating at the 100th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Prime Ministers Wim Kok and Abdulkarim Al-Eryani, as well as Presidents Osvaldo Hurtado and Olusegun Obasanjo, paid Club de Madrid Member and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, a courtesy visit.
15 June 2011, Geneva, Switzerland – Five Members of the Club de Madrid (Former heads of state and government from Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, Yemen and the Netherlands) addressed the need for a new era of social justice and sustainable and shared societies in the wake of the global financial and jobs crisis during two special events held at 100th International Labour Conference on 14 and 15 June at the Palais de Nations.
“Lessons from the recent crisis for building sustainable and shared societies: Implications for the ILO” on Tuesday, 14 June
“The need for a new era of social justice” on Wednesday, 15 June
Read article by Wim Kok, President of the Club de Madrid
The Club de Madrid and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-organized a debate on “Changes in the Arab World: Revolutions towards Democracy?” held in the Diplomatic School of Madrid on April 5, with keynote speeches by Wim Kok (Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 1994-2002 and President of the Club de Madrid), Lionel Jospin (Prime Minister of France, 1997-2002), Sadig Al Mahdi (Prime Minister of Sudan, 1966-1967 and 1986-1989) and Abdul-Kareem Al Eryani (Prime Minister of Yemen, 1980-1983 and 1998-2001) through a video message.
Click here to watch the video message from Prime Minister Al-Eryani
Speech by Prime Minister Sadig Al Mahdi, Sudan (1966-1967, 1986-1989)
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.
As part of a wider international advocacy effort the President of the Club of Madrid Wim Kok, and Member of the Club of Madrid and former President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, represented the organization at the Leaders of Change Summit held in Istanbul, Turkey from the 14-15 March. President Kok addressed the public in the Session ‘Leadership in Modern Age Why it has to Be International’ and President Fox in the Session on ‘Global Changes and New Balances’ where they shared key messages of Club de Madrid initiatives before a audience of key international figures.
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.
On Thursday 13 January 2011, European Commissioner for Development and Cooperation Andris Piebalgs, received in Brussels a delegation of the Club of Madrid led by its President Wim Kok, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and composed of Carlos Westendorp, Secretary General, and Nicolas Rougy, Director of the Brussels Office.