At the beginning of November 2021, Ambassador Afonso Henriques Abreu de Azeredo Malheiro took office as Executive Director of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe.

His last assignment was as Portuguese Ambassador in Peru for three years. Having pursued a seasoned diplomatic career in the five continents, he now joins the Council of Europe family at the North-South Centre, in Lisbon, for the defence of democracy, human rights and the rule of law through the lens of global interdependence and solidarity.

It's with a true sense of commitment that I embrace this new mission as its purpose and scope lie at the core of my beliefs.

Ambassador Afonso Henrique Abreu de Azeredo Malheiro