On 20 and 21 May, the Congress participated in the North-South Dialogues in Lisbon, a new initiative launched by the North South Centre intended to provide a platform to discuss the state of North-South relations and prospects for their development. For this first edition, the subject of discussion was “Prospects and interregional cooperation for the abolition of death penalty”. The Congress representative to the Centre Jorge Sequeira, Mayor of Sao Joao de Madeira and Head of the Portuguese delegation to the Congress highlighted the role of local authorities in raising awareness and educating public on this question. “As frontline actors, our proximity provides us with the possibility to engage with and influence public opinion, raise awareness of flaws resulting from death penalty, monitor and report on related issues, organize events or educational courses to correct misinformation and reinforce the implementation of human rights in our communities” he said. The Congress representative also attended the Award Ceremony of the 2023 North-South Prize in the Portuguese Parliament and took part in the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre. He was re-elected as member of the Centre’s Bureau.