[Press Release] Global Forum 2025 in Madrid Concluded with Inspiring Dialogues and Shared Commitments for the Future
The 30th edition of Global Forum Shaping the Future concluded in Madrid after two days of engaging discussions and intensive networking, exploring the most pressing challenges and opportunities at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and humanity.
Kicking off with a splendid welcome reception on Sunday evening at the Telefónica Movistar Club VIP Lounge at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, the iconic home of Atlético de Madrid, Global Forum Shaping the Future 2025 took place on 27-28 October at the UPM Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineers (ETSIT) in Madrid.
At the opening on 27 October, the President and Vice-President of the Global Forum, together with this year’s local host, set the stage for two days of forward-looking discussions. In today’s evolving global landscape, technological progress presents unprecedented opportunities, yet the world continues to face complex challenges, turmoil, and insecurity. This anniversary edition of the Forum, held in the Spanish capital, benefitted from highlights of remarkable technological advances, coupled with sports and culture, embracing inclusion while combating outstanding environmental issues. Reflecting this theme, filmmaker Michael P. Nash delivered a virtual address, presenting an exclusive preview of his current project Chasing Truth, which explores AI’s potential to address global challenges, igniting hope and inspiration for the future.
This year’s overarching topic, Transformational Change: Building a Collaborative Future, focused on the pressing challenges and opportunities emerging at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and humanity. Over two days, around 150 experts, thought leaders, business representatives, and decision-makers from across the globe gathered in Madrid to explore topics ranging from digital infrastructure and urban transformation to next-generation of digital technologies including AI, Web3, and blockchain. Deliberations addressed data spaces management, human empowerment, the ongoing transition in energy and water systems, health, and the role of nature-based solutions in driving a nature-positive economy, as well as cybersecurity and the role of advanced threat analysis and digital ethics. Throughout the sessions, participants agreed that innovation thrives when collaboration bridges boundaries – a key driver of a responsible, sustainable, and inclusive digital future.
Madrid proved a splendid host for this milestone edition of the Global Forum: Digitalisation Minister Miguel López-Valverde Argüeso emphasised the importance of open-mindedness and a future-ready digital ecosystem, illustrating how various sectors actively contribute to urban transformation, fostering innovation and sustainable development. In this spirit, the city of Madrid outlined its ambitious goal of becoming a truly human-adaptive city. Manuel Sierra Castañer, Director of ETSIT at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, kindly hosting the sessions, highlighted the relevance of skills development coupled with strong university-society collaboration. Rocío Torres, Head of Sustainability and Responsible Business at Atlético de Madrid, shared how the Club integrates sustainability and responsible practices to generate positive social and environmental impact. Similarly, José María Bolufer Francia emphasised Telefónica’s leadership in fibre, copper switch-off and 5G deployment addressing relevant ESG challenges.
Following the successful close of this year’s event – with Atleti Lab launching a global tech competition for sustainability and inclusion in football, FIWARE unveiling its partnership with Linux Foundations to drive open-standard technologies for next-generation smart solutions and data spaces, and a private tour of the Prado Museum highlighting art’s enduring role as a shared cultural experience – Global Forum Shaping the Future will carry the momentum forward through the Madrid Call for Action 2025: a joint commitment reflecting the Forum’s collaborative spirit and guiding future efforts at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and humanity.
Global Forum Shaping the Future 2025 in Madrid has been jointly organised by the Global Forum Shaping the Future Association and W-A-T Group. The event was made possible thanks to the valued support of GSMA, Lyten, Teranode and the Spanish IPv6 Council.
About the organisers:
The Global Forum Association:
The Global Forum Association is an independent, not-for-profit organisation initially founded in France and registered in Sweden. Bringing together decision-makers, key stakeholders, and visionaries, its recurrent main event serves as a shared platform for furthering the value and trust established through more than 30 years of vibrant networking. In this it harnesses cross-border communication and cooperation in search of viable pathways to realise the potential for a prosperous and inclusive digital future.
We Are Technology:
Acting as the local host of the Global Forum 2025 in Madrid, W-A-T (We Are Technology) Group is a privately held group of IT companies headquartered in Madrid, Spain, founded in 2020. The group specialises in holistic IT solutions, IT architecture evolution services, and compliance consulting, serving medium to large enterprises. W-A-T develops an interconnected world vision leveraging on knowledge plus established and brand-new technologies to address corporations’ milestones framed within today’s humanity assets and challenges.
More info at https://globalforumstf.org/global-forum-2025/
