The Social Forum

More than 700 people and 124 organizations laid the foundations for advancing a collective programme for a just ecosocial transition beyond growth, offering an alternative to the capitalist model of infinite growth. 

The Forum presented its lines of debate and action through 11 Ecosocial Pacts covering key areas for life such as energy, food, water and biodiversity, housing, and education, as well as cross-cutting themes such as democracy and a just transition. 

During the sessions hosted by the Faculty of Sciences at the Autonomous University of Madrid, leading figures from activism took part in the dialogue, including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, scientist Fernando Valladares, and ecofeminist anthropologist Yayo Herrero. 

23 February, Madrid. The Social Forum and its more than 700 participants are putting forward a roadmap and a shared program to initiate a just ecosocial transition towards an economy that places needs at the centre, within planetary boundaries.

This transition is conceived as a democratically planned reduction of production and consumption in harmful sectors, enabling the economy to be brought into line with ecological limits while improving the present and future well-being of all people.

The process includes the participation of 124 organizations and collectives that endorsed the final declaration issued in September 2025 at the Beyond Growth Conference in the Spanish Congress of Deputies, which remains open for further endorsements.

Over the two days, participants analysed, debated and put forward the conflicts, solutions, and proposals that make up the shared programme within the framework of the 11 Ecosocial Pacts. These cover fundamental areas for life such as food, water and biodiversity, energy, housing, public services, and mobility, among others, alongside a cross-cutting perspective focused on democracy and on the working conditions required for the necessary transformation.

“The February Social Forum has been a success that exceeded our expectations, with participation surpassing 700 people. In terms of content, each of the 11 Ecosocial Pacts has put forward crucial analyses and proposals for drafting an inspiring shared programme that offers an alternative to capitalism and confronts fascism from an ecosocial perspective,” stated the spokespersons of the Social Forum’s Steering Group. 

“This experience is historic and sets an international benchmark for degrowth at a global level towards a just and solidaristic ecosocial transition, built democratically and centred on life and well-being. The process itself, along with the proposals put forward by participants, constitutes a collective antidote to fascism, counterposing the power of the commons to the destructive continuity of capitalism and the reactionary surge,” they argued.

“In the coming months, we will continue joining forces, weaving networks, and building the foundations for this broad-based movement to advance a shared agenda. We need the full diversity and collective intelligence available to drive a movement capable of preventing the collapse of our society and the planet,” the Steering Group concluded.

The dialogue that closed the Social Forum focused on building collective power. Contributions were made, drawing especially on practical experience, by Juan Pedro Sánchez of Ulloa Viva; Fernando de los Santos, representing the Tenants’ Union; Aritz Landeta from the collective Jauzi Ekosoziala; Eva Vilaseca of the Catalan Assembly for the Ecosocial Transition; Breno Bringel of the Pacto Ecosocial del Sur; and Margalida Ramis of the Balearic Group for Ornithology and Nature Defence.

In addition, 22 workshops were held during the Social Forum to facilitate knowledge-sharing among organisations. These addressed a wide range of topics, including the role of work from a degrowth perspective, the centrality of energy communities in the ecosocial transition, and cooperation between different movements and forces, among others.

The Beyond Growth Social Forum also hosted two dialogues that complemented the work of the 11 Ecosocial Pacts. The first, held on Friday, focused on the creation of “A social and political movement beyond growth.” It featured Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona; Fernando Valladares, scientist and science communicator at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Carmen Madorrán, degrowth philosopher; and Luz Helena Ramírez, human rights defender and founder of the association Migration and Social and Solidarity Economy (MIGRESS). The session was moderated by activist Hugo Abad.

The first dialogue addressed, among other issues, the social and political strategies needed to advance an emancipatory project that places life at the centre, as well as the resistance of corporate power and its influence within state structures. At the same time, it highlighted the importance of “small big victories” that consolidate change and build popular support, and the need for an appealing narrative capable of reaching a broad social majority.

The discussion stressed the need to understand “degrowth as a victory” in the face of the current trajectory towards planetary collapse, in a context marked by unsustainable ways of life and deepening inequalities. In response, the Social Forum’s political hypothesis is to “reflect on forms of organisation based on radical democracy to confront the ecosocial crisis, while at the same time generating a collective process to build a grassroots alternative to neoliberalism and ecofascism.”