Club de Madrid is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. It is composed of 126 regular members from 73 countries, including 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 20 first female heads of State or Government. Club de Madrid is the world's largest forum of former heads of state and government.
Among its main goals are the strengthening of democratic institutions and counseling on the resolution of political conflicts in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance, and response to crisis and post-crisis situations.
History and actions
Club de Madrid was founded in October 2001 as a result of the Conference on Democratic Transition and Consolidation held in Madrid with the objective of creating a permanent forum for governments to consult, and "be able to access expert's opinions". The event was organized by the think tank FRIDE (Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exteriores).
The Conference was attended by 32 current and former heads of state and government, who discussed their ideas and conclusions with over 100 experts. Among the attendees were former President of the USSR Mikhaíl Gorbachov, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, former democratic Prime Ministers of Spain Adolfo Suárez, Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, Felipe González and José María Aznar, former Prime Minister of the Central African Republic Martin Ziguele, and US President Bill Clinton.
The Club's first Secretary General was the co-founder of FRIDE, Antonio Álvarez-Couceiro, and its first President was former President of Brasil Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who held that post until 2006. In 2004, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell became Secretary General until 2006, when the Spanish diplomat Fernando Perpiñá-Robert took the post. Former President of Chile Ricardo Lagos was elected as the organization's President in 2006, until 2010, when he ceded the position to former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Wim Kok. Also in 2010, Carlos Westendorp, Spanish diplomat and politician, became Secretary General.
Former President of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was elected President of the Club in 2014. In 2016, María Elena Agüero became Secretary General and, in 2019, former President of Slovenia Danilo Türk was elected President, posts they both still hold.
The Club's first General Assembly was held in Madrid in October 2002 approved the organization's first Annual Policy Dialogue, year-long initiatives that involve members, other organizations, and experts in working grops to formulate policy recommendations on the decided topic. The results of some Annual Policy Dialogues and other programs have been echoed and supported in national and international legislation and pacts.
The Club de Madrid pushed for a constitutional reform in Haiti and promoted the adoption of a National Pact in 2014 to reach a democratic consensus.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Club de Madrid called for international cooperation, solidarity, and policies such as the "creation of an international fund for assistance to the Global South to deal with the consequences of COVID-19" and supported "the IMF’s call for coordinated fiscal stimuli to mitigate against long-lasting economic damage". The organization called on the World Bank to support the coordinated purchase of pandemic response equipment.
Club de Madrid issued a statement in support of the 2020 International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, endorsing practices of restorative justice and highlighting the cosmovision of numerous indigenous peoples towards nature. Also in 2020, the organization appealed to the authorities of Belarus to "stop detentions and the use of force against unarmed demonstrators" after the presidential elections in the country.
Club de Madrid also condemned the 2021 coup d'état in Myanmar and called for the "immediate and unconditional release of President Win Myint, State Counsellor Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, members of government, of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and of civil society activists who have been detained". Also in 2021, the organization and 46 of its members publicly supported the suspension of the WTO's intellectual property rules towards COVID-19 vaccines to make vaccination more accessible.
In June 2022, the Club de Madrid called on the Tunisian President Kais Saied to release the politician Hamadi Jebali. Club de Madrid has also repeatedly called for the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other political prisoners in Russia, and for the end of the war in Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy.