In alliance with the Heritage Foundation, one of the most prestigious think tanks in the world, we carried out in Washington D.C. an initiative to advance the Madrid Commitment, which proposes a decade in favor of freedom and the culture of life, and which we launched during the VI Transatlantic Summit, in the Spanish Senate at the end of last year.
On February 24 and 25, leaders from 15 countries gathered at the headquarters of the Heritage Foundation for the International Workshop on Cultural Freedom to share knowledge, strengthen ties, generate synergies and, above all, design ways to promote in their countries the protection of life and motherhood, the strengthening of marriage and the family, the abolition of surrogacy and the curbing of the woke ideology.
Leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States participated in the workshop.
A timely, useful and inspiring event
For Amy Sinclair, president of the Iowa Senate, the workshop “was a premier event for policymakers who support family values and conservative public policy. The format of the event lent itself to results: hearing from both researchers and practitioners helped policymakers bridge the gap between political philosophy and practical application.”
Paolo Inselvini, Member of the European Parliament for Italy, finds the event “timely and inspiring.” He says that “to better fight the battle in defense of non-negotiable principles and for a Christian civilization, these are key appointments. Training, networking and organizing a strategy are fundamental aspects of confronting powerful and well-funded adversaries. It was very useful and encouraging to hear about the good practices implemented by other politicians, representatives of institutions or associations”.
According to Theresa Okafor, Director of the Foundation for African Cultural Heritage, the Washington meeting “shows how leaders can be equipped to make informed decisions and meaningful partnerships across the globe. There is a need to link governments and civil society organizations to shape global policies and shift political discourse away from ideologies to those that can foster dialogue, growth, stability and more just and equitable society.”
For his part, Chilean Congressman Luis Fernando Sanchez notes that “having the opportunity to network with political representatives from other countries and, in addition, to meet members of Heritage’s team, is something that has contributed positively to my legislative work. In addition, we gained access to a lot of information that we will be able to use for legislative projects in Chile. It was a very positive meeting.
This will be the first of several events we will be holding to advance the Madrid Commitment in various countries in the Americas, Europe and Africa.
The Madrid Commitment
The Madrid Commitment is a very clear call to action and an excellent instrument to generate synergies. It was launched during the VI Transatlantic Summit in December 2024 with the endorsement of more than 300 political and civic leaders from 45 countries, and proposes a decade of action in favor of freedom and the culture of life, focusing on five points:
(1) ensuring that laws and governments respect the exercise of freedom to defend the dignity of every human being, their right to life and the expression of their convictions; (2) developing legislative initiatives and public policies that establish an environment conducive to family formation and stability and the freedom to educate children; (3) to generate a culture that celebrates life, cherishes the family and affirms the responsible exercise of freedom; (4) to work for governments to subscribe to the Geneva Consensus Declaration; and (5) along the lines of the New York Declaration, to demand that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be interpreted in its original meaning. Read the full text here.
