Council of Europe North-South Prize - Former editions

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe is proud to announce that Ms Kristiina Kumpula, Secretary-General of the Finnish Red Cross, and Dr Abbas Gullet, Vice President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Secretary-General of Kenya Red Cross Society,  are the two laureates of the 2017 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe. With this award, the jury of the North-South Prize honours two personalities who have dedicated their lives to promote humanitarian work  and foster human solidarity.

Ms Kumpula has contributed to the North-South dialogue by the promotion of health and social rights both in her home country, Finland, and in East Africa. Ms Kumpula has been actively working with the international components of the Red Cross Movement and is currently serving as Chair of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Constitutional Review Advisory Group.

Dr Abbas Gulet played an instrumental role in building the Kenyan Red Cross Society into a leading society both in the African continent and within the Movement, increasing its capacity to respond to humanitarian crises in Kenya and beyond. Dr Gullet currently serves as Vice-President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

• Read full article - 2017 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe awarded to the Vice President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Secretary-General of the Finnish Red Cross

Giuseppina Nicolini and Mbarka Brahmi are the two laureates of the XXII North-South Prize of the Council of Europe in recognition of their work towards the promotion of human rights, pluralistic democracy and north-south solidarity.

Giuseppina Nicolini will be awarded for her commitment in the reception of migrants and to the defence of refugees’ rights in Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island and one of the main entry points in Europe for migrants. The North-South Centre decided to honour her firm and decisive involvement in the migrant crisis.

Mbarka Brahmi’s role is widely recognised in the defence of women’s rights and the promotion of peace, which are considered especially crucial in the Tunisian democratization process. Mbarka Brahmi is founder of the ‘Centre Brahmi pour la paix et la solidarité’ and President of the ‘Courant Populaire’ party.

The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe distinguishes each year two personalities, one from the ‘North’, the other from the ‘South’, who have excelled in their commitment to human rights, democracy and rule of law, contributing to the north-south dialogue, fostering solidarity, promoting interdependence and creating partnerships.

The award ceremony is taking place in the Senate Room of the Portuguese Parliament, on 31 May at 12h00, with the presence of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Portuguese Parliament, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni.

The North-South Centre empowers civil society through intercultural dialogue & global citizenship education, since its establishment in 1989. Through its multilateral activities, the North-South Centre responds mainly to four priority areas: youth, women, migration and global education.

20 Member States: Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Spain,Tunisia.

  Live webcast (13.00 Central European Time) 

The founder of the Greek non-governmental organisation METAdrasi (Action for Migration & Development), Lora Pappa and former President of Mozambique Joaquim Alberto Chissano are the two laureates of the Council of Europe North-South Prize 2015, a distinction awarded annually to two personalities, who stood out internationally for their role in defending human rights and democracy and for promoting dialogue, global interdependence and solidarity.

The award ceremony will take place in the Senate room of the Portuguese Parliament on 30 June (11.00 a.m.), with the presence of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, the Parliament’s President, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, the Chairperson of the Portuguese delegation to PACE, Ana Catarina Mendes and the Chair of the North-South Centre Executive Committee, Jean-Marie Heydt.

In the framework of the visit to Portugal, the Deputy Secretary General will have meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva; the Minister of Culture, Luis Castro Mendes; the Secretary of State of European Affairs, Margarida Marques and the Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina. (more...)

• Former editions

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland is visiting Lisbon on 1 July 2015 for meetings with Portuguese President Professor Aníbal Cavaco Silva and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Rui Machete.

His speech at the award ceremony of the Council of Europe’s North-South Prize at the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic – the Palácio de São Bento – honours this year’s recipients Dr Maura Lynch and Andre Azoulay.

• North-South Centre awards North-South Prize 2014 to Sister Dr. Maura Lynch and André Azoulay
• Secretary General speech
• Video of the Award Ceremony of the 2014 North-South Prize

See also:
Portugal and the Council of Europe

His Highness the Aga Khan, Founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and Suzanne Jabbour, Lebanese doctor, chair of the Executive Committee of the International Council for the rehabilitation of victims of torture, are receiving today the 2013 North-South Centre Prize.

The Prize is being presented to them by the President of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, during an official ceremony at the Portuguese Parliament in the Senate Room. Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is speaking at the event, together with the President of the Portuguese Parliament Maria da Assunção Esteves, the Chair of the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre Jean-Marie Heydt and the President of the Portuguese delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly João Bosco Mota Amaral.

The North-South Prize is awarded annually by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe to two personalities: one from the northern hemisphere and the one from the southern hemisphere. Through their action and example, they contribute to the promotion of solidarity and global interdependence, namely in the defense of democratic values and protection of human rights.

His Highness the Aga Khan is globally recognized for his commitment, through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), to the development and improvement of the living conditions of vulnerable populations. The AKDN is a network of private, international and non-denominational agencies with individual mandates that carry out their actions in fields such as health, education, architecture, rural development and the promotion of entrepreneurship in the private sector. (more...)

More information
Speech by Thorbjørn Jagland