The Jury of the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe* is pleased to announce the laureates of the 31st edition of the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe, awarded to Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson and Mr Rami Abou Jamous.

The award ceremony will take place on 19 May at noon Lisbon time (1p.m. CET) at the Portuguese parliament. It will also be livestreamed on the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe website in English and French and on the Council of Europe Tunis office’s website in Arabic.

Awarded annually since 1995, the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe honours two laureates chosen from the Global, North, and South categories. Whether grassroots activists, personalities, organisations, or institutions, the laureates are recognised for their commitment to the defence and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as to the development of intercultural dialogue and the reinforcement of the North-South partnership and solidarity, in conformity with the principles and priorities of the Council of Europe.

The laureates of the 31st edition of the Council of Europe North-South Prize

Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson (Icelandic expert in children’s rights)

Mr Bragi Guðbrandsson is a distinguished children’s rights defender whose work has advanced child protection across Europe and beyond. He is widely recognised for pioneering the Barnahus (Children’s House) model and for his leadership in international human rights advocacy and monitoring. His contributions have strengthened multidisciplinary, child-friendly justice responses to violence and sexual abuse and helped shape international child protection standards through his work with the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

Mr Rami Abou Jamous (Palestinian journalist) - Online intervention

Mr Rami Abou Jamous, a renowned war correspondent whose independent reporting has brought first-hand accounts of life under conflict to global audiences, is awarded the prize in recognition of his exceptional contribution to raising awareness and fostering understanding across regions, as well as the perilous conditions faced by journalists in Gaza today.

This year’s award will be presented at Assembleia da República by His Excellency the President of the Portuguese Republic, António José Seguro, in a ceremony presided by His Excellency the President of the Assembleia da República, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco.

The Ceremony also will include speeches by the Acting President of the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and Consul General of the Kingdom of Morocco in Strasbourg, Ms Lalla Soumia Bouhamidi, the Director of Programme Co-ordination of the Council of Europe, Mr Claus Neukirch, and the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Antonio Gutiérrez Limones. Since the laureate Rami Abou Jamous will be participating online, his prize will be accepted on his behalf by Sarra Grira, Editor-in-Chief of Orient XXI.

This year’s edition is particularly significant as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s accession to the Council of Europe.

*The Jury is presided by the President of the North-South Centre Executive Committee and is made up of members of the Bureau and a representative of the North-South Centre‘s host country, if the country’s representative is not a Bureau member.