Common Action Forum 2023
Together, for the world
Brasilia, Brazil | 11-12 August, 2023
Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial – Indigenous People Memorial
Introduction
The assault on the “Praça dos Três Poderes” in January 2023, exactly two years after the insurrection in the US Capitol, symbolises the undeniable deterioration of democratic standards led by the loss of institutional trust, increase of corporate powers and a permanent campaign of reactionary groups. A half-century of neoliberalism has not only bequeathed us a planet on the verge of collapse; the triumph of the consumer over the citizen has also fragmented our societies, inflamed economic inequality, and driven the radicalisation of the right.
From geopolitics to the economy, the intertwined, dominant governance models are in crisis. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and their ramifications are the latest expressions of a collapsing paradigm. The rise of far-right populism and the societal fragmentation it feeds upon are both symptoms and factors in the acceleration of this process. Combined with a largely unaddressed climate collapse, these expose the failure of the international order in protecting life and peace—particularly for the peoples of the Global South, traditionally excluded from decision-making.
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In order to articulate a broad pact to guarantee human progress on a sustainable planet, the Common Action Forum and other like-minded organisations will gather international leaders, representatives and experts from all around the world.
Brazil has long been the frontline of the fight for a multilateral, multipolar, and peaceful world order. The return of President Lula presents a unique opportunity to restore the country to its position of global facilitator—not only among presidents and prime ministers but also among social movements and trade unions at the grassroots.
Among these signs, the shift toward a different global order is inevitable. Windows are open. And while it will not occur overnight, the balance resulting from this transition will determine how civilisation faces the most crucial decades in the continuity of our and other species. A frail, asymmetrical order consumed by a feedback loop of power competition and resource depletion is bound to repeat the same mistakes as its predecessor, and we’ve simply run out of time.
The future depends on our capacity to stop this downward spiral and forge a new path to a peaceful, sustainable, and democratic future. If there ever was a moment for transformative political action, that moment is now. Together, we must build a cohesion capable of truly averting climate collapse, increasing inequalities and escalation to global conflict. The future can’t wait!
Sessions
[ Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial ]
OPENING & 1st SESSION
Protecting Democracy to Ensure Social Pacts
Friday, 11.08.2023 | 10:00 hs
Murilo Komniski – Wadah Khanfar
Opening Keynote:
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Panelists:
Manuela Carmena – Maria Fernanda Ramos Coelho – Salil Shetty
Host:
Heloísa Villela
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Full democracy remains the foremost virtuous ideal for participation and expression, representing the maturation of a nation. In such a system, all social sectors can exercise a world production aligned with their aspirations and responsibilities, while concurrently strengthening the social pacts that provide coherence to everyday life. Sustaining this perpetual endeavour necessitates profound reflections on the roles played by key actors, encompassing individuals and institutions, and cultivating a worldview capable of discerning the snares of a crafty narrative that has achieved widespread acceptance, thereby legitimizing double standards and eroding collective confidence. Within the shadows cast by environmental catastrophes, new technologies, and ever-expanding inequalities, a profound quest emerges—one that seeks to safeguard dignity and justice.
From Fragmented Identities to a Political Body
Friday, 11.08.2023 | 11:30 hs
Jessé Souza – Petra Stienen – Veronika Mendoza
Host:
Paulo Abrão
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Some would argue the last two decades have been fertile ground to fight traditional structures of domination: activism, political engagement, new forms of coordination and even the principle of diversity (often co-opted by neoliberalism since the 70’s) have facilitated action from the early sparks of the Arab Springs to the climate movements or the BlackLivesMatter and MeToo movements. On the other hand, the lack of a common goal linked to a sort of universal solidarity has also challenged solid results on global social justice. Still, monetization, censorship and the collateral effect of content algorithms are further feeding fragmentation, ideological bubbles, hatespeech, and a broader counter-reform led by reactionary groups which view these causes as enemies. How can social movements and institutions as we know them be equipped to increase trust and unite in a narrative?
Beyond the Freedom of Disinformation
Friday, 11.08.2023 | 15:00 hs
Edil Baisalov
Panelists:
Inna Afinogenova – Jean Wyllys – Pedro Brieger
Host:
Gaspard Estrada
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Not long ago, the world rejoiced at the possibilities that technological development held for improving our democracies. Information and communication technologies have fundamentally transformed how our societies interact, blurring boundaries and accelerating power dynamics in ways we still struggle to comprehend. The catalysis of data flows and the creation of new connectivity patterns have also created fertile ground for noise, ambiguity, and outright deception. Day by day, the weaponization of information in the pursuit of influence and the explicit regulatory challenges posed by new platforms are pushing the democratic model to a breaking point. In the same way traffic regulations should be obeyed to protect pedestrians and car drivers while allowing circulation in any street, how to implement a sense of responsibility in this highly complex territory of information?
4th SESSION
Technologic Promises and the Crossroads of Citizenship
Friday, 11.08.2023 | 16:30 hs
Fabio Senne – Jamila Venturini – Tesh Sidi
Host:
Patricio Cabello
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The transformative shift in socio-technical spaces has undeniably redesigned the very foundations of citizenship. As it takes hold, the institutions, processes, rights, and duties that previously shaped this concept now encounter new avenues for embracing heightened levels of participatory engagement. Paradoxically, however, a contrasting reality emerges: the ever-present risks of technological divides threaten to perpetuate and potentially worsen inequality and marginalization that underpinned our analog society. Amidst digital innovation’s rapidity, intricacy, and elusive nature, the pressing question remains: How can autonomy transcend and thrive beyond this fundamental threshold?
[ Indigenous People Memorial ]
EVENING SESSION
Lessons from Forgotten Futures
Friday, 11.08.2023 | 18:00 hs
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The marginalised cosmologies of native communities hold a transformative potential way beyond the protection of nature and the commons. In defence of their ancestral lands and the recognition of their suffering and heritage, the world’s indigenous peoples not only risk and lose their lives to contest extractivism, colonialism, neoliberalism and the rest of the historical driving principles of modern states but their very ontology. The modern systems of ideas and beliefs establish artificial borders between the self, community, culture, time, nature, and even technology. Now more than ever, under the growing persecution they suffer worldwide, embracing epistemologies capable of reframing human existence has become as much a generational debt as a historical opportunity.
5th SESSION
Food Sovereignty and Energy Security in a Global Green Transition
Saturday, 12.08.2023 | 10:00 hs
Pedro Manuel Moreno
Panelists:
Achraf Bouali – Eduardo Barcesat – Leticia Merino
Host:
Felipe Llamas
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In its ever-accelerating crises, an ever-accelerating world has shown us in a couple of years how disease and war can suddenly do away with a global supply chain barely sustaining hundreds of millions. And as we brace to limit the impact of unpredictable climate change (and the disease, war and storms it will bring if left unchecked) compounded with predictable biodiversity collapse, we must also strive to comprehend the sheer fragility of the world we have built and act upon it. No Green Transition that aspires for a truly sustainable future can overlook what makes our present as unfair as much as untenable. Beyond sterile debates about the inevitability of globalisation, we must now seize the day to look up to other models, new and old, re-considering if we should change the world to save it or if it’s us who must change to save ourselves.
Keeping the World under 1.5°: A View from the Global South
Saturday, 12.08.2023 | 11:30 hs
Efraín Guadarrama
Panelists:
Bruno Gonçalves – Ericka Ñanco – João Afonso Zavattini
Host:
Sylvia Siqueira
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Reclaiming the Global Development Agenda
Saturday, 12.08.2023 | 15:00 hs
Naledi Pandor
Panelists:
Eduardo Moreira – Paolina Vercoutere – Raj Patel
Host:
Eduardo Leira
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A solid and well-articulated counter-hegemonic development agenda could redistribute the global balance of power and respond more effectively to national and regional development goals. This panel asks what a counter-hegemonic development agenda could look like, the type of institutions needed to make it work and how this can better serve less privileged regions of the planet.
Aiming for Peace Amid Global Tensions
Saturday, 12.08.2023 | 16:30 hs
Adrienne Clarkson
Panelists:
Emad Shahin – Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro – Sishuwa Sishuwa
Host:
Arlene Clemesha
Institutional Closing:
Rafael Heiber
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Global tensions are reaching a point of no return. In a setting of growing power competition, hardliner nationalistic and pro-militaristic narratives thrive as the nations of the world stray from each other. Yet cooperation itself is the key to appeasing the flame of escalation and to address the compounding socioeconomic, environmental and geopolitical challenges that sparked it in the first place. In the face of an international arena that is evermore multipolar, efforts on multilateralism hold the key for rebalance. Together we must find ways to effectively promote peace, avoiding spirals of violence that put all of humanity at risk.
Participants
Achraf Bouali
5th SESSION – PANELIST
Achraf Bouali is a former career diplomat with two decades of service to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and a former Member of the Dutch Parliament. He was appointed by the Secretary-General of the OECD in May 2022 as the Head of the OECD Istanbul Centre, the first regional hub of the organisation.
Adrienne Clarkson
CLOSING KEYNOTE
Adrienne Clarkson is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served as the 26th Governor General of Canada (1999-2005). Praised for her efforts in modernising the institution and with a long career in the media, she is co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, an organisation dedicated to encouraging active immigrant inclusion and participatory citizenship.
Arlene Clemesha
8th SESSION – HOST
Arlene Clemesha is a renowned Brazilian historian and media commentator. She directs the Centre of Arab Studies at theSão Paulo University and is a member of the Executive Board of the Common Action Forum. Arlene has authored several books about the modern history of Palestine and was a member of the Steering Committee of the UN International Coordinating Network on Palestine (ICNP-UN).
Bruno Gonçalves
6th SESSION – PANELIST
Bruno Gonçalves is a Portuguese analyst, currently Secretary General of the International Union of Socialist Youth. He holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidade do Minho (Guimarães, Portugal) and is a member of the General Council of that University.
Edil Baisalov
3rd SESSION – REMARKS
Edil Baisalov is a Kyrgyz politician, currently Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. A former Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the United Kingdom, he also served as the country’s Deputy Minister of Social Development. A prominent human rights activist, between 2008 and 2010 he lived in Sweden as a UNHCR refugee.
Eduardo Barcesat
5th SESSION – PANELIST
Eduardo Barcesat is an Argentinian constitutionalist jurist, UNESCO counsellor, and law Professor at the University of Buenos Aires. He was a member of the Argentinean Constitutional Convention of 1994. As a renowned human rights advocate, Eduardo is deeply involved in promoting jurisdictional approaches to food sovereignty and economic equality.
Eduardo Leira
7th SESSION – HOST
Eduardo Leira is a renowned Spanish architect. With a vested interest in the intersection of urbanism and social development, he directed the General Plan for the city of Madrid and led a team selected to design the city of Beijing, among many other works that have been recognised both nationally and internationally with numerous awards.
Eduardo Moreira
7th SESSION – PANELIST
Eduardo Moreira is a renowned Brazilian entrepreneur and lecturer. A multifaceted professional, he is a civil engineer and economist by training, chosen by Investidor Institucional magazine as one of the three best economists in Brazil. Eduardo has authored over ten books, including two bestsellers, and is the founder of the Instituto Conhecimento Liberta (ICL).
Efraín Guadarrama
6th SESSION – REMARKS
Efraín Guadarrama is Director General for American Regional Bodies and Mechanisms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mexico) and National Coordinator for CELAC. Master in Law and Economics from the Universities of Hamburg and Rotterdam, Efrain also served as Director General of Anti-Corruption Projects at the Mexican Ministry of Public Function.
Emad Shahin
8th SESSION – PANELIST
Emad Shahin is Dean of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) of the Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation and a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University. Emad’s research focuses on general democracy, the relations between Islam and politics, and the political reform of Muslim societies. He formerly served as Editor-in-Chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics.
Ericka Ñanco
6th SESSION – PANELIST
Éricka ‘Coca’ Ñanco is a Chilean agronomist, activist and politician, member of the Revolución Democrática party. Since 2021, she has been a member of the Chilean National Congress for the Araucanía region, where she is the regional president of her party. As an activist, she is part of various feminist, student, environmental and indigenous collectives.
Fabio Senne
4th SESSION – PANELIST
Fabio Senne is a Project Coordinator at the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br). An expert in digital inequalities, digital inclusion policies and knowledge society development, Senne holds a master’s degree in Communication from the University of Brasilia and a PhD in Political Science at the University of São Paulo.
Felipe Llamas
5th SESSION – HOST
Felipe Llamas is a Spanish academic and politician Professor at the Social and Juridical Sciences Faculty of Carlos III University (Madrid). He served as Councilman of the city of Madrid and Chief of Staff to the Mayor. Felipe is an expert in land policy and urbanism, but also in participatory governance and international collaboration among local governments.
Gaspard Estrada
3rd SESSION – HOST
Gaspard Estrada is the Executive Director of the Political Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean at Sciences Po, France. An Op-Ed contributor for several newspapers, Gaspard has also been a lecturer at several European Teaching Institutions and his research focuses on political communication and electoral campaigns. He chairs CAF’s cluster of Geopolitics and Demoscopy.
Heloísa Villela
1st SESSION – HOST
Heloísa Villela is a Brazilian journalist, currently a commentator on international politics on the independent news program ICL Notícias. She was a correspondent for Rede Globo in New York for 17 years, covering historical events like the attacks on the Twin Towers and Hurricane Katrina, among others. She has also worked for Rede Record and CNN Brazil.
Inna Afinogenova
3rd SESSION – PANELIST
Inna Afinogenova is a Russian journalist. A graduate of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Inna is a regular contributor to several digital newspapers and emerging media and the International Relations Secretary of the Madrid Union of Journalists.
Jamila Venturini
4th SESSION – PANELIST
Jamila Venturini is a Brazilian researcher and co-director of Derechos Digitales, a Latin American-based non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and advocating human rights in digital environments. Author of several books, Jamila is an accomplished journalist and a member of the Latin American Network of Surveillance, Technology and Society Studies (Lavits).
Jean Wyllys
3rd SESSION – PANELIST
Jean Wyllys is a Brazilian journalist, activist and politician. He was a federal MP at Brazils Câmara dos Deputados who resigned and went into exile for years, after having been elected for a third, due to death threats from the far-right. A PhD candidate at the University of Barcelona, his research focuses on Political Science and disinformation.
Jessé Souza
2nd SESSION – PANELIST
Jessé Souza is a Brazilian professor, lawyer, writer and sociologist who formerly served as President of Brazil’s Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea). He is renowned for his work in social theory, Brazilian social thought and inequalities, particularly around the dynamics between socio-economic tiers and the evolution of classes in contemporary Brazilian society.
João Afonso Zavattini
6th SESSION – PANELIST
João Afonso Zavattini holds a Master’s and PhD in Physical Geography from the University of São Paulo (USP). He is a professor of Climatology at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) and a post-doctoral fellow at the Università degli Studi di Torino (Italy). He is also the author of several articles and books, including «Climate Studies in Brazil».
John Ralston Saul
EVENING SESSION
John Ralston Saul is an award-winning Canadian philosopher, novelist, essayist, and author. A staunch advocate of the freedom of expression, he is Co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and President Emeritus of PEN International. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good, and the failures of manager-led societies.
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
OPENING KEYNOTE
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero served two consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Spain (2005-2011) and was the Spanish Labour Party (PSOE) leader for over 12 years. The milestones of his tenure include the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq and the dismantling of the terrorist organisation ETA. He has dedicated much of his post-premiership activities to promoting international peace.
Leticia Merino
5th SESSION – PANELIST
Leticia Merino is an anthropologist and professor at the Institute for Social Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). A pioneer in her field, her expertise is that of the integral and sustainable use of natural resources and the internal handling dynamics of traditional communities: as well as the opportunities and limitations they both hold for public policy.
Manuela Carmena
1st SESSION – PANELIST
Manuela Carmena is a Spanish lawyer and magistrate who served as Mayor of Madrid (2015-2019). She served as a judge for over 30 years, as well as a spokesperson for Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary from 1996 to 2001 and Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. She has authored several books reflecting on the modernising of law and preserving democracy.
Maria Fernanda Ramos Coelho
1st SESSION – PANELIST
Maria Fernanda Ramos Coelho is the current Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil (SGPR) and one of the national Vice-Presidents of the ruling Partido dos Trabalhadores. Maria Fernanda was a federal MP at the Brazilian Câmara dos Deputados from 2011 to 2014, when he chaired the Climate Change Commission.
Murilo Komniski
INSTITUTIONAL WELCOME
Murilo Komniski is a Brazilian career diplomat and International Relations professor, currently serving as Special Advisor to the Secretariat of Institutional Relations of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil. With a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from the Rio Branco Institute, Murilo has also served as Special Advisor to Permanent Delegation of Brazil to UNESCO.
Naledi Pandor
7th SESSION – REMARKS
Naledi Pandor is a politician, educator and academic, currently serving as South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. Naledi has extensive political experience having served as Speaker of the Upper House of the South African Parliament and as Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Education and Minister of Science and Technology.
Paolina Vercoutere
7th SESSION – PANELIST
Paolina Vercoutere is a French-Ecuadorian politician from the Kichwa Otavalo people and a member of the Revolución Ciudadana party. She served as Governor of Imbabura, where she now serves as Vice Prefect. An engineer in Cultural and Social Development from the University of Otavalo, Paolina also served as Vice president of the Kiwcha Cabildo.
Patricio Cabello
4th SESSION – HOST
Patricio Cabello is a researcher at the Center for Advanced Research in Education at the University of Chile. With a PhD in Social Psychology, Patricio focuses his research on the social development of digital skills and their connection with education, inclusion, community participation and citizenship. Patricio is of CAF’s cluster of Digital Citizenship and has also been a consultant for UNESCO and UNICEF.
Paulo Abrão
2nd SESSION – HOST
Paulo Abrão is a Brazilian lawyer and former Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. PhD in Law, he was also Executive Secretary of the Mercosur Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights, as well as National Secretary of Justice. He currently directs the Washington Brazil Office (WBO).
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro
8th SESSION – PANELIST
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro is a Brazilian academic and former Minister of the Secretariat of State for Human Rights. A political scientist and professor at USP, Paulo Sérgio has chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria since 2011. He is a former UN Special Rapporteur on Burundi and Myanmar, former Commissioner and former Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the IACHR.
Pedro Brieger
3rd SESSION – PANELIST
Pedro Brieger is an Argentinian academic and award-winning journalist. Focusing much of his work on International Politics, Pedro is a professor at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), teaching Sociology of the Middle East. He is the Director of NODAL, a news site analysing the political intricacies of Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Pedro Manuel Moreno
5th SESSION – REMARKS
Pedro Manuel Moreno is Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). A former researcher at UNESCO and the Complutense University of Madrid, Pedro formerly served as Chief of Staff of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and Special Adviser to the Associate Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Petra Stienen
2nd SESSION – PANELIST
Petra Stienen is a former Dutch senator. She was head of the Netherlands delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. For 17 years, Petra was a diplomat in charge of bilateral relations with the Middle East, Europe and the USA. Her work on issues such as inclusion and diversity has been recognised with several awards, she is the author of numerous books.
Rafael Heiber
INSTITUTIONAL CLOSING
Rafael Heiber is the Co-Founder and Deputy-Chairman of the Common Action Forum. Geographer and Climatologist with a MSc in Territorial Planning and a PhD in Sociology, his expertise includes the political links between technology, space and citizenship. He participates in academic activities and publishes in the international media.
Raj Patel
7th SESSION – PANELIST
Raj Patel is an English academic, economist, and award-winning author. With a PhD in Philosophy from Cornell University, he wrote Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, and several more books on food systems and economics. Raj is a Research Professor in the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.
Salil Shetty
1st SESSION – PANELIST
Salil Shetty is an Indian human rights activist who currently serves as Vice President of Global Programs of the Open Society Foundations (OSF). He previously was the Secretary General of Amnesty International (2010-2018), overseeing its leap forward from a predominantly European organisation to a global movement for human rights. He previously also directed the UN Millenium Campaign.
Sishuwa Sishuwa
8th SESSION – PANELIST
Sishuwa Sishuwa is a Zambian writer, historian, and Senior Lecturer at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Among other focuses, his research addresses the early post-colonial and even late-colonial roots of contemporary democratic politics in Africa. Sishuwa regularly provides political counsel and is a well-known political commentator in several media.
Sylvia Siqueira
6th SESSION – HOST
Sylvia Siqueira, journalist, anti-racist ecofeminist, was born in Recife and grew up in the struggle for rights, justice and democracy in the cities of Pernambuco, Brazil and the world. She has been on the board of organizations such as Mirim Brasil, Abong, IFM-SEI, FLAJ and Nossa América Verde. She has acted with Malala Yousafzai for girls’ right to education. Sylvia is currently the Program Officer for Democratic Governance for Latin America and the Caribbean at Open Society Foundations.
Tesh Sidi
4th SESSION – PANELIST
Tesh Sidi is a Sahrawi computer engineer and Big Data Lead. Recently elected as a Spanish MP, she was born in the refugee camps in Tindouf (Algeria). Tesh is a renowned expert in Global technologies and has worked in large consulting firms and tech startups. She’s a dedicated feminist activist, advocating also for migrant and refugee rights.
Verónika Mendoza
2nd SESSION – PANELIST
Verónika Mendoza is a Peruvian-French anthropologist and politician. With a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle University, she was president of the political movement New Peru from 2017 to 2021. She served as a congresswoman of the Republic of Peru for Cusco, and was twice a candidate for the presidency of the country.
Wadah Khanfar
INSTITUTIONAL WELCOME
Wadah Khanfar is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Common Action Forum. Former Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network, he was named one of the «Young Global Leaders» in the 2008’s World Economic Forum and was first in Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2011.
Venues
Photo gallery CAF 2023
