Common Action Forum
Common Action Forum is an independent transnational foundation headquartered in Madrid that convenes a global network of intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists through annual forums, the OCTAGON encounter, year-round gatherings, and published reports on progressive policy issues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Common Action Forum does
Common Action Forum (CAF) is an independent transnational foundation established in 2015 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It operates as a think-tank and convening platform that sustains a global network of prominent and emerging intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists. The organization focuses on fostering dialogues and designing structural solutions to global challenges, including rising inequalities, environmental collapse, the social impact of technology, and the rise of neo-fascist and xenophobic policies. Its target constituency is a horizontally-organized global network of thought leaders rather than commercial customers, and it explicitly positions itself as an alternative to cynical or pessimistic accounts of global dysfunction.
CAF's core offerings are built around two flagship annual encounters—the Annual Forum and the OCTAGON—supplemented by a portfolio of programmatic tracks including Metapolis (urban studies), year-round Gatherings (seminars, academic collaborations, conferences, courses), the SYMUN youth Model United Nations program, a podcast series, and published reports. Its technology layer is a multilingual digital platform (English, Spanish, Portuguese) that distributes event recordings, podcasts, photo galleries, and written reports; no proprietary software product, app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed. Geographic reach spans 40+ countries across Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with recent editions hosted in Madrid, Mexico City, Brasilia, Kuala Lumpur, and Doha.
As a non-profit foundation, CAF does not sell commercial products or services and reports no revenue. It is sustained by grants and support from international bodies and academic institutions, including the United Nations, the European Commission, the Spanish National Research Council, University Carlos III of Madrid, ANUDI, Google Labs, BBC News Labs, and Berkeley University. Participation in CAF events appears to be free or invitation-based. The organization is led by co-founders Wadah Khanfar (Chairman, former Director-General of Al Jazeera Network and Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinker) and Rafael Heiber (Executive Vice President, Adjunct Professor at Charles III University of Madrid), supported by a three-person executive team, an 8-member Board, a 10-member Advisory Board, and 6 Thematic Cluster leads.
Common Action Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Common Action Forum
- Legal name
- Common Action Forum
- Website
- https://commonactionforum.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Common Action Forum is an independent transnational foundation headquartered in Madrid that convenes a global network of intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists through annual forums, the OCTAGON encounter, year-round gatherings, and published reports on progressive policy issues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Common Action Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Think Tank and Policy Research
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses (THAHAJAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Environment, Climate & Sustainability Congresses (THAHAJAH)
Keywords
Where Common Action Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madrid
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Common Action Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Foundation/Grant Funding: As an independent transnational foundation, CAF sustains operations through grants and support from international organizations. Partners mentioned include the United Nations, European Commission, and various academic institutions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Common Action Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Common Action Forum (CAF) operates as an independent transnational foundation and think-tank that convenes global intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists through annual forums (CAF Annual Forum), the OCTAGON encounter, and year-round gatherings (seminars, conferences, academic collaborations, courses). It produces post-event reports, podcasts, and digital content on critical global issues including inequalities, environmental collapse, the social impact of technology, and the rise of neo-fascist/xenophobic policies.
Product overview
Common Action Forum (CAF) is an independent transnational foundation that operates primarily as a think-tank and discussion forum platform. The organization offers a portfolio of event programs including the flagship Annual Forum (CAF) hosting international discussions on global governance, inequality, and democracy, the Octagon as a secondary annual encounter, and Metapolis focusing on urban studies. Additional offerings include the Podcast for audio content, published Reports documenting forum conclusions, year-round Gatherings including seminars and conferences, and the SYMUN educational program for youth. The organization functions as a convening platform connecting intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists from diverse backgrounds to discuss critical global issues.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Annual Forum Flagship annual event of Common Action Forum, hosting international experts, policymakers, journalists, and activists for multi-day discussions on global governance, inequality, democracy, and international cooperation. Held annually since 2015 in cities across Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
- Octagon Secondary major annual encounter of Common Action Forum, distinct in format from the Annual Forum, aimed at shaping feasible and transformative solutions to worldwide issues. Editions have been held since at least 2019.
- Metapolis Program track focused on urban studies and metropolitan development themes, complementing CAF's dialogue and research initiatives.
- Gatherings Year-round program of seminars, academic collaborations, conferences, and courses on political, social, and cultural themes, hosted in addition to the flagship Annual Forum and Octagon.
- Podcast Audio content series covering themes of dialogue, science, and social development, featuring discussions and dialogues from forum participants and global experts.
- Reports Published reports documenting reflections and conclusions from each forum edition, circulated to policymakers, media, and the public.
- SYMUN (Spain Youth Model United Nations) Youth education program co-organized with ANUDI and Carlos III University of Madrid, simulating UN diplomacy for high school students.
Quantifiable outcome
- Annual Forums held continuously since 2015, with 10th anniversary in 2025
Companies that use Common Action Forum
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Common Action Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Common Action Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- United NationscoreCAF supports international initiatives and collaborates with the United Nations on various projects of political and social analysis, including Model UN programs with SYMUN.
- European CommissioncoreCollaborates with the European Commission on projects related to political and social analysis and digital citizenship research.
- Spanish National Research CouncilcoreAcademic collaboration on research initiatives and knowledge development.
- University Carlos III of MadridcoreAcademic partnership including co-organization of SYMUN (Spain Youth Model United Nations) and research collaboration.
- ANUDI (UN and International Law Association)coreCo-organizes Spain Youth Model United Nations (SYMUN) with UN and ANUDI at Carlos III University of Madrid.
- European AlternativesminorInternational initiative collaboration on political and social analysis.
- Technical University of MadridminorAcademic partnership on research and knowledge development.
- Berkeley UniversityminorAcademic research collaboration on political and social analysis.
- Al Jazeera Media InstitutecoreCAF2025 was held as part of Doha Forum 2025's array of high-impact encounters, thanks to collaboration between Al Jazeera Media Institute and the Doha Forum organisation.
- Doha ForumflagshipCAF2025 was held as part of Doha Forum 2025's high-impact encounters, marking a flagship collaboration event.
- Khazanah Research InstituteflagshipCollaborator for CAF 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The forum was held at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur with participation from Malaysian government officials.
- Third World NetworkflagshipCollaborator for CAF 2024, providing expertise on development and global justice issues.
- Casa de AméricacoreVenue and collaborator for CAF 2021 at Casa de América in Madrid, focusing on multilateral cooperation and post-COVID-19 recovery.
- Casa de MéxicocoreVenue and collaborator for CAF 2021 at Casa de México in Madrid, focusing on mobility, migration, and digital challenges.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Common Action Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Doha Forum: Qatar-based flagship international policy forum; CAF 2025 was embedded inside Doha Forum 2025, making it the most direct operational peer in convening model, audience, and geography.
Broad incumbents
- Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based international affairs think-tank hosting high-level convenings, research, and policy dialogue. Direct overlap with CAF in convening international policymakers and producing policy publications.
- Munich Security Conference: Long-running, high-profile annual policy/security forum with global government participation. Comparable to CAF in convening model and international policy focus, but substantially larger, more established, and more security-oriented.
- World Economic Forum: Geneva-based international organization for public-private cooperation, best known for the Davos annual meeting. Comparable convening authority and policy agenda-setting role, though vastly larger in scale and resources.
- Brookings Institution: Major US-based think-tank producing policy research across international affairs, economics, and governance. Overlaps with CAF in producing policy reports and convening senior decision-makers.
- Atlantic Council: US-headquartered international affairs think-tank with a global convening agenda. Comparable in producing reports and hosting forums on global governance, though more Atlantic/US-policy oriented.
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): Pan-European think-tank producing policy research and convening networks of European foreign policy actors. Overlaps with CAF in international affairs policy focus, pan-regional convening model, and report-driven knowledge output.
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global network of policy research centers producing research and convening on international affairs. Similar think-tank operating model and policy focus, with significantly broader geographic infrastructure.
Regional players
- Third World Network: Malaysia-based international network of organizations and individuals collaborating on global justice, development, and Southern perspectives; collaborator on CAF 2024. Shares CAF's Global South framing and convening orientation.
- Khazanah Research Institute: Malaysia-based independent think-tank that co-organized CAF 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. Comparable as a regionally-anchored policy research and convening organization focused on development and governance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Common Action Forum social profiles
Digital presenceCommon Action Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Common Action Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Common Action Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Common Action Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Common Action Forum
What does Common Action Forum do?
Common Action Forum (CAF) operates as an independent transnational foundation and think-tank that convenes global intellectuals, politicians, journalists, and activists through annual forums (CAF Annual Forum), the OCTAGON encounter, and year-round gatherings (seminars, conferences, academic collaborations, courses). It produces post-event reports, podcasts, and digital content on critical global issues including inequalities, environmental collapse, the social impact of technology, and the rise of neo-fascist/xenophobic policies.
Is Common Action Forum a public or private company?
Common Action Forum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Common Action Forum founded?
Common Action Forum was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Common Action Forum based?
Common Action Forum is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Common Action Forum make money?
One revenue line is on record: foundation/Grant Funding.
Who are Common Action Forum's main competitors?
Doha Forum is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), Munich Security Conference, World Economic Forum, Brookings Institution, Atlantic Council, European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Regional players are Third World Network and Khazanah Research Institute.
Does Common Action Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Common Action Forum.
What industry is Common Action Forum in?
Common Action Forum's product category is Think Tank and Policy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAF, Government, Public Policy & Regulatory Congresses, with a secondary code of THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.