Club de Madrid is an independent, non-partisan,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

created to promote

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

and change in the

international community The international community is a term used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. Usage Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is typically used to imply the ...

. It is composed of 127 regular members from 74 countries, including 5

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

laureates and 23 first female heads of state or government. Club de Madrid is the world's largest forum of former

heads of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

and

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. The organisation has six honorary members, which include

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

, Ángel Gurría,

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums ''Enrique Iglesias (album), Enrique ...

Javier Solana Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga CYC (; born 14 July 1942) is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary Gener ...

, and Juan Somavía. 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 A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "

being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

and

, who discussed their ideas and conclusions with over 100 experts. Among the attendees were former

President of the USSR The president of the Soviet Union (), officially the president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), abbreviated as president of the USSR (), was the executive head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 15 March 1 ...

Mikhaíl Gorbachov, former

Canadian Prime Minister The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons; as such, the prime minister typically sits as a ...

Kim Campbell Avril Phaedra Douglas "Kim" Campbell (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian politician who was the 19th prime minister of Canada from June to November 1993. Campbell is the first and only female prime minister of Canada. Prior to becoming the f ...

, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, former democratic

Prime Ministers of Spain A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a Product (mathematics), product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime ...

Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected Prime Minister of Spain, prime minister since the Second Spanish Republi ...

, Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo,

Felipe González Felipe González Márquez (; born 5 March 1942) is a retired Spanish politician who was Prime Minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996 and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. He is the longest-serving democratically- ...

and

José María Aznar José María Alfredo Aznar López (; born 25 February 1953) is a Spanish politician who was the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He led the People's Party (Spain), People's Party (PP), the dominant centre-right political party in Spai ...

, former Prime Minister of the Central African Republic Martin Ziguele, and

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Club de Madrid members at an Annual Policy Dialogue

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 Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor, and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2003. He was the first Brazi ...

, who held that post until 2006. In 2004, former

became Secretary General until 2006, when the Spanish diplomat Fernando Perpiñá-Robert took the post. Former

President of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...

Ricardo Lagos Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (; born 2 March 1938) is a Chilean lawyer, economist and social-democratic politician who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. During the 1980s he was a well-known opponent of the Chilean military di ...

was elected as the organization's President in 2006, until 2010, when he ceded the position to former

Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands () or, before 1945, the chairman of the Council of Ministers () is the ''de facto'' head of government of the Netherlands.''Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden'' onstitution of the Kingdom of the N ...

Wim Kok Willem Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Carlos Westendorp, Spanish diplomat and politician, became Secretary General. Former

President of Latvia The president of Latvia ( ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. The term of this office is four years. Before 1999, it was three years. The presi ...

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (; born 1 December 1937) is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first and to date only woman to hold the post and the most recent to be re-elected for a second ter ...

was elected President of the Club in 2014. In 2016, María Elena Agüero became Secretary General and, in 2019, former

President of Slovenia The president of Slovenia, officially the president of the Republic of Slovenia (), is the head of state of Slovenia. The office was established on 23 December 1991 when the National Assembly (Slovenia), National Assembly passed a new ...

Danilo Türk Danilo Türk (; born 19 February 1952) is a Slovenian diplomat, professor of international law, human rights expert, and political figure who served as President of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012. He was the first Slovene ambassador to the United Nat ...

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 groups 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 Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and promoted the adoption of a National Pact in 2014 to reach a democratic consensus. With the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Club de Madrid called for international cooperation, solidarity, and policies such as the "creation of an international fund for assistance to the

Global South Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...

to deal with the consequences of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

" and supported "the

IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...

’s call for coordinated fiscal stimuli to mitigate against long-lasting economic damage". The organization called on the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

to support the coordinated purchase of pandemic response equipment. Education-for-shared-societies-policy-dialogue-plenaries 45859590951 o

Club de Madrid issued a statement in support of the 2020

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indi ...

, endorsing practices of

restorative justice Restorative justice is a community-based approach to justice that aims to repair the harm done to victims, offenders and communities. In doing so, restorative justice practitioners work to ensure that offenders take responsibility for their ac ...

and highlighting the cosmovision of numerous indigenous peoples towards nature. Also in 2020, the organization appealed to the authorities of

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

to "stop detentions and the use of force against unarmed demonstrators" after the

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

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 Win Myint ( ; born 8 November 1951) is a Burmese politician who served as the tenth president of Myanmar from 2018 to 2021, when he was removed from office in the 2021 coup d'état. He was the speaker of the House of Representatives from 2016 ...

, State Counsellor Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, members of government, of the

National League for Democracy The National League for Democracy (, ; Abbreviation, abbr. NLD; Burmese abbr. ဒီချုပ်) is a deregistered liberal democratic political party in Myanmar (formerly Burma). It became the country's ruling party after a landslide victo ...

(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 The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

rules towards

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Knowledge about the structure and fun ...

s to make vaccination more accessible. In June 2022, the Club de Madrid called on the Tunisian President

Kais Saied Kais Saied ( ; born 22 February 1958) is a Tunisian politician, jurist and retired assistant professor of law currently serving as the fifth president of Tunisia since October 2019. He was president of the Tunisian Association of Constitutional ...

to release the politician

Hamadi Jebali Hamadi Jebali (, '; born 12 January 1949) is a Tunisian engineer, politician, and journalist who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from December 2011 to March 2013. He was the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Movement, a moderate Islamic party in Tun ...

. Club de Madrid has also repeatedly called for the release of opposition leader

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...

and other political prisoners in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and for the end of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

through dialogue and diplomacy. In response to the January 8th Brazilian Congress attack, Club de Madrid condemned the event. In 2024, the Club of Madrid sent an open letter to the

G20 The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stabil ...

group in which it supported

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

's proposal to tax the super-rich to alleviate "extreme" inequality and raise the money needed for investment in industry and the green transition. In the letter, they warned that taxes are the foundation of a civilized, enterprising and prosperous society. The Club of Madrid pointed out that the Super Rich have unproductively accumulated trillions of dollars that could have been productively invested in communities, education, health and infrastructure. The result is extreme inequality, which is why 19 members of Club of Madrid believe that a new international agreement on the taxation of the super-rich is necessary. The letter was signed by, among others, former President of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...

, former Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk, former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, former Spanish Prime Ministers Felipe Gonzalez and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and former French Prime Minister

Dominique de Villepin Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac. In his career working at the Ministry ...

Composition and structure

As of May 2025, there are 127 full members, all of whom are previous government officials with full voting rights. The Club also has institutional members and foundations – private and public organizations that share similar democratic objectives, including FRIDE, the Gorbachev Foundation of North America (GFNA), both original sponsors of the founding conference in 2001, the

Madrid City Council The City Council of Madrid () is the top-tier administrative and governing body of Madrid, the capital and biggest city of Spain. The city council is composed by three bodies: the mayor, who leads the city council and the executive branch of it; ...

, the Regional Government of Madrid, and the

Government of Spain The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the ...

. Additionally, there are six honorary members (e.g.

) and several fellows, who are experts on democratic change. Full members, representatives of the constituent foundations, the Secretary General of the organization, and honorary members form the General Assembly, the highest representative and governing body of Club de Madrid. The General Assembly meets at least once a year to vote on the organization's activities and reports, the proposal of new members, and the designation of the Secretary General, Board of Directors and President, among other activities. The Board of Directors manages the interests of the organization according to the directives of the General Assembly. The body is composed of the President, currently

, two Vice-Presidents, currently former South Korean Prime Minister

Han Seung-soo Han Seung-soo (; born 28 December 1936) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the prime minister of South Korea from 2008 to 2009 under President Lee Myung-bak. He was the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special ...

and former

, one member from each constituent foundation, the Secretary General, and up to six other members. The President represents the organization and is elected for a term of three years, renewable once. The Vice-Presidents are also elected for three years, renewable once, and they work closely with the President. Club de Madrid Secretariat

Club de Madrid has two advisory bodies, the President's Circle, made up of individuals and organizations that support the Club's objectives, and the Advisory Committee, composed of fellows who are experts in their fields. The Secretariat, under the direction of the Secretary General, is responsible for the daily management of the Club de Madrid.

Funding

Club de Madrid is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization and members offer their services on a ''pro bono'' basis. It relies financially on donations which are used to support a permanent Secretariat and fund specific projects. The Club's accounts are audited annually by an external organization and publicly available. The Club of Madrid Foundation Inc. (COMFI) is a grant-making foundation that has US 501(c)(3) tax exemption status. It exists to raise funds in support of the Club's charitable and educational activities. COMFI is independent and not controlled by the Club itself, but solely by a four-person Board of Directors.

Members

Club de Madrid has 127 full members of which 17 are former Heads of State and/or government from Africa and the Middle East, 26 from the Americas, 17 from Asia-Pacific, and 60 from Europe.

List of current members

List of members as of May 2025.

List of secretaries-general

List of honorary members

List of members of the constituent foundations

List of former members (deceased)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Madrid, Club de Think tanks based in Spain International non-profit organizations Organisations based in Madrid 2001 establishments in Spain Organizations established in 2001