Club de Madrid

14/10/2026

🎥 A look back at Club de Madrid’s Annual UNGA Dinner 2026 in New York.

Held on the sidelines of , this year's gathering brought together former Heads of State and Government, business leaders and investors to explore the challenges and opportunities surrounding energy and critical minerals.

Beyond the discussions, the evening reflected what makes Club de Madrid's UNGA Dinners unique: creating a space where political experience, private-sector expertise and investment perspectives come together to build trust, exchange ideas and explore shared solutions.

Thank you once again to our partners and sponsors — Teneo, BHP, Equity Group, Seeing Red Media and DLA Piper — for making this gathering possible.

▶️ Watch the highlights: https://youtu.be/eW8ZBriWNig?si=gW6kB-PbOi4srDMJ

Laura Chinchilla Miranda Dino Patti Djalal Penuh

13/10/2026

A very insightful session at the OECD Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, launching the Open Government Review of Australia: Strengthening Civic Space and Participation.

From Club de Madrid, congratulations to Alex Fischer from Australia’s Office for Social Cohesion, and to David Goessmann and Ollin Pérez-Raynaud from the OECD Open Governance team, for a thoughtful discussion on how stronger civic space and meaningful citizen participation can reinforce trust in public institutions and democratic resilience.

The Review places an important emphasis on ensuring that citizens’ voices have a tangible impact on public decision-making — a conversation that strongly resonates with our own work on democratic renewal.

Great to see this agenda moving from participation as an aspiration to participation as a core governance function.

09/10/2026

🎥 From Madrid to New York: Behind the GCDM Report

In June 2026, the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism (GCDM), established by Club de Madrid, convened in Madrid to advance its recommendations on how multilateral cooperation can better support democracy, and how stronger democracies can help sustain a more effective multilateral system.

Led by our Members and GCDM Chair George A. Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece, and Vice-Chair Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal, the meeting brought together Commissioners, Club de Madrid Members and strategic partners to discuss practical ways to strengthen democracy and multilateral cooperation. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA and also Vice-Chair of the Commission, was unable to attend.

These discussions contributed to the Commission's Report, “Democracy and Multilateral Cooperation: Revitalizing International Support for Democratic Renewal”, officially launched in New York during High-Level Week in September.

🎬 Watch the highlights from the Madrid meeting and revisit an important step in the process behind the Report - https://youtu.be/IFsHNy4UM3U?si=3X7BESg5sroUP3ef

🔗 Read the Report and discover more: https://clubmadrid.org/work/projects/global-commission-on-democracy-and-multilateralism/

International IDEA Laura Chinchilla Miranda European Partnership for Democracy Open Government Partnership Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Robert Bosch Stiftung Ford Foundation Dino Patti Djalal Penuh Francisco Sagasti Iveta Radičová

05/10/2026

🇬🇷 Club de Madrid at the Athens Democracy Forum 2026

How can democracy adapt and deliver in a rapidly changing world?

At this year’s Athens Democracy forum, Club de Madrid Member Dalia Grybauskaitė and Secretary General María-Elena Agüero joined political leaders, experts and democracy practitioners to explore how democratic governance can respond to declining trust, technological disruption and a changing international order.

President Grybauskaitė took part in the opening debate “Democracy’s Identity Crisis” and in “Reimagining Global Democracy Support”, a panel convened by International IDEA and Club de Madrid, where she shared recommendations from the Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism on democratic delivery, multilateral reform, AI governance and international cooperation.

María-Elena Agüero also joined Simon Reid-Henry, regarding the Coalition of Governments on Global Public Investment, for a conversation on inclusive governance and voice in the international development and financing architecture, linking democratic participation with the need to rethink global cooperation.

📹 Watch the sessions:
Opening Debate → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVtKSKzlBEo
Session with María-Elena Agüero → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJIGJ45Chn8

Traditional foreign aid is under immense strain, with global shocks...

30/09/2026

What must democracy become to remain legitimate, capable and meaningful by 2050?

On the margins of , Club de Madrid convened its first Democracy 2050 Action Lab, opening the preparatory process towards our Annual Policy Dialogue 2027.

Hosted by the Baha'i International Community, the discussion brought together former Heads of State and Government, multilateral organisations, civil society, academics and technology experts to explore how forces such as AI, shifting power structures and new expectations from younger generations are reshaping democracy.

The conversation starts from a simple idea: democracy must not only be defended — we must also build the democracy to come.

Thank you to all our Members, partners and participants who joined this first conversation.

Laura Chinchilla Miranda | Moussa Mara Yelema | Carlos Alvarado Quesada | Leonel Fernández | Aminata Touré | Stefan Löfven | George A. Papandreou | UN Youth Affairs | Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi

29/09/2026

Club de Madrid stands in solidarity with our Member and former Prime Minister of Guinea, Cellou Dalein Diallo, following the reported revocation of his ordinary passport, which prevented him from travelling to New York to participate in activities on the margins of .

We call on the Guinean authorities to restore his right to travel freely and ensure full respect for his fundamental rights.

▶️ Read our full statement: https://clubmadrid.org/club-de-madrid-condemns-restrictions-on-cellou-dalein-diallos-freedom-of-movement/

29/09/2026

La Carta de las Naciones Unidas sigue siendo el fundamento indispensable de la cooperación internacional. Sus principios —la igualdad soberana de las naciones, la solución pacífica de las controversias, los derechos humanos y la protección de las generaciones futuras— son hoy tan necesarios como lo fueron en 1945.

Sin embargo, mantenernos fieles a esos principios también exige garantizar que las instituciones creadas para defenderlos sigan siendo representativas, legítimas y capaces de responder a las realidades de nuestro tiempo.

Por ello, se deben impulsar las reformas del sistema multilateral, incluso —y especialmente— en estos tiempos difíciles, cuando el diálogo se torna cada vez más esquivo y la fragmentación se profundiza.

El primer paso consiste en construir una coalición amplia, diversa y verdaderamente global, capaz de transformar una idea ambiciosa en una agenda política creíble. Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, los centros de pensamiento, las fundaciones y las redes democráticas tienen un papel fundamental que desempeñar en este esfuerzo.

Desde el Club de Madrid, estamos comprometidos a sumar esfuerzos para impulsar la reforma del sistema multilateral, convencidos de que su renovación es indispensable para preservar los principios que lo sustentan.

28/09/2026

Last week, Club de Madrid convened its Annual UNGA Dinner 2026 at the University Club of New York, bringing together former Heads of State and Government, senior investors, industry leaders, and policy experts for an evening of high-level exchange, held during the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Under the theme “Energy & Critical Minerals: Meeting 21st Century Needs,” the gathering explored a central question: how can democratic governments, responsible investors, and forward-looking industry leaders work together to meet rising global demand while advancing transparency, sustainability, resilient supply chains, and inclusive growth?

The evening featured opening remarks from Jay Tannon, President of Club de Madrid Foundation Inc., and Laura Chinchilla Miranda, President of Costa Rica (2010–2014) and President of Club de Madrid, followed by conversations on the role of business, governance, and international cooperation in shaping the future of energy and critical minerals.

We were honoured to welcome Denys Shmyhal (Денис Шмигаль), First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (2020–2025), as keynote speaker, alongside remarks from Club de Madrid Members and Advisors, including Aminata Touré, Prime Minister of Senegal (2013-2014); Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden (2014–2021); José Antonio Ocampo, Former Minister of Finance of Colombia; and Dino Patti Djalal, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia (2014).

The discussion was moderated by Ravi Agrawal, Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy, and enriched by contributions from business and investment leaders, including Daniel Gabaldon, Vice Chair of Management Consulting and Head of Energy at Teneo; Tim O’Connor, Group Exploration Officer at BHP; James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank Limited; Matthew Kestenbaum, Managing Director at EQT Group.

A heartfelt thank you to all participants who joined us, and to our sponsors whose support made this important gathering possible: Gold Sponsors Teneo and BHP | Silver Sponsor Equity Bank Limited | Bronze Sponsors Seeing Red Media and DLA Piper

Together, we continue creating spaces where leaders can engage openly, exchange ideas, and shape solutions to the global challenges ahead.

23/09/2026

📢 It is here!

The Global Commission on Democracy and Multilateralism (GCDM) has officially launched its Report: Democracy and Multilateral Cooperation: Revitalizing International Support for Democratic Renewal.

Presented yesterday in New York during hashtag High-Level Week, the Report puts forward a focused set of recommendations to strengthen the multilateral system’s capacity to support democracy.

Commissioners, UN Member States and key stakeholders came together to discuss the political feasibility of these proposals and practical pathways for turning them into action, including GCDM Chair George A. Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece; GCDM Vice-Chairs Aminata Touré, former Prime Minister of Senegal, and Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA; as well as Commissioner Laura Chinchilla Miranda, former President of Costa Rica and President of Club de Madrid, and Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The message is clear: democracy and multilateralism must be renewed together. Democracies need international cooperation to respond to challenges that cross borders, while multilateral institutions need to become more representative, participatory and accountable.

🔗 Read the Report here: https://clubmadrid.org/work/projects/global-commission-on-democracy-and-multilateralism/

International IDEA | European Partnership for Democracy | Open Government Partnership | Federal Department of Foreign Affairs | Robert Bosch Stiftung | Ford Foundation