PRISA to join high-level conference to explore Communication Techonologies' impact on Democracy

More than 40 democratic former Heads of State and Government will gather in New York City in early November to discuss the impact of communication technologies and social media on democratic development around the world.

The day-and-a-half conference, titled Digital Technologies for 21^st Century Democracy, has especial relevance in today's changing world, where key aspects in democracy such as politics, journalism and citizenship are being rewritten through the new possibilities that communication technologies offer.

Organized by the Club de Madrid and with the support of PRISA as main media partner, the event is scheduled for November 8-9, 2011 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. It will take an in-depth look at opportunities and challenges posed by the increasingly complex relationships between governments, their citizens and communication technologies; and analyze how big data and networks are revolutionizing governance and democracy.

To shed light on this very timely topic, the Club de Madrid will bring together some of the world's most experienced and inspirational political and business leaders, policy makers and scholars. These include speakers from Facebook, Google and Microsoft, leaders such a New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and advisors and strategists of current leaders such as Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy. Other speakers include  Michael Bloomberg (New York City Mayor), Professor Yochai Benkler (Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society), Jeff Jarvis (author of What Would Google Do?), Chat García Ramilo (Association for Progressive Communications), Patrick Meier (Ushahidi) and Micah Sifry (Personal Democracy Forum), among others.

Participating Members of the Club de Madrid, all of them former Presidents and Prime Ministers, include Kim Campbell (Prime Minister of Canada, 1993), Joaquim Chissano
(President of Mozambique, 1986-2005), Vicente Fox (President of Mexico, 2000-2006), Lee Hong-Koo (Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, 1994-1995), Lionel Jospin (Prime Minister of France, 1997-2002), John Kufuor (President of Ghana, 2001-2009),  Chandrika Kumaratunga (President of Sri Lanka, 1994-2005), Ricardo Lagos (President of Chile, 2000-2006), Mary Robinson (President of Ireland, 1990-1997) and Jennifer Mary Shipley (Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1997-1999), among others.

Gala Dinner to award President Bill Clinton

The conference will close with a Gala Dinner on November 9^th, during which the Club de Madrid will present President Bill Clinton with its Democratic Leadership Award. The prize, previously awarded to Nelson Mandela, recognizes a leader's firm commitment to the consolidation of democratic values, human rights and good governance, all of which represent the core values of the Club de Madrid.

These two events are part of the Club de Madrid's 10^th anniversary celebrations, and are supported of the Fahad Al-Salem Center, Hyatt Regency Coolum, Google, the Regional Government of Madrid and several other institutions.

Further information and instructions for press accreditation can be found at www.clubmadrid.org/2011conference.  

About the Club de Madrid

The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization composed of 80 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 56 different countries. It constitutes the world's largest forum of former Heads of State and Government, who have come together to respond to a growing demand for support among leaders in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance; and response to crisis and post-crisis situations. Both lines of work share the common goal of addressing the challenge of democratic governance and political conflict as well as that of building functional and inclusive societies, where the leadership experience of our Members is most valuable.