North–South Prize


The North–South Prize is awarded annually by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe to two public figures who are recognised for their deep commitment, outstanding achievements and hope they have generated in the field of protection of human rights, the defence of pluralist democracy and North-South partnership and solidarity. The prize originated in 1995 and it is sometimes known as the Lisbon North–South Prize.

Call for candidates and selection

The "quadrilogue" involved in overseeing the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, along with media representatives and international and regional government organisations, are urged to name individuals or an organisation whose activities are considered worthy of distinction.
The call for candidates is made on its website and its Newsletters. The Centre's partners are similarly asked to inform their respective media organs. The file is sent for review to each member of the jury. After studying the files, the North–South Prize Jury makes a final decision on the candidates.

Candidate selection criteria

The Prize is awarded to a candidate from the North and one from the South, preferably to a man and a woman. Candidates should be recognised within the following fields of action: human rights protection, defence of pluralist democracy, promotion of public awareness about issues concerning global solidarity and interdependence, and reinforcement of the North-South partnership. Candidates may be nominated for their achievements within the cultural, institutional and political fields.

North-South Prize Jury

The North–South Prize Jury is composed of the Members of the Bureau of the North-South Centre and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, under the presidency of the Chairman of the Executive Council of the North-South Centre. The Jury is helped in its task by the Secretariat of the North-South Centre.

The winners

YearRecipientsCountry
1995Peter GabrielUnited Kingdom
1995Vera DuarteCape Verde
1996Danielle MitterrandFrance
1996
1997Mary RobinsonIreland
1997Patricio AylwinChile
1998Graça MachelMozambique
1998Lloyd AxworthyCanada
1999Emma BoninoItaly
1999Abderrahmane YoussoufiMorocco
2000Marguerite BarankitseBurundi
2000Mário SoaresPortugal
2001Maria de Nazaré Gadelha Ferreira FernandesBrazil
2001Cornelio SommarugaSwitzerland
2002Albina du BoisrouvrayFrance
2002Xanana GusmãoEast Timor
2003Frene GinwalaSouth Africa
2003António de Almeida SantosPortugal
2004Nawal El SaadawiEgypt
2004Stéphane HesselFrance
2005Bogaletch GebreEthiopia
2005Bob GeldofIreland
2006Mukhtaran BibiPakistan
2006Francisco Van Der HoffNetherlands
2007Kofi AnnanGhana
2007Simone VeilFrance
2008Jorge SampaioPortugal
2008Rania al-AbdullahJordan
2009Mikhail GorbachevRussia
2009Rola DashtiKuwait
2010Louise ArbourCanada
2010Lula da SilvaBrazil
2011Boris TadićSerbia
2011Souhayr BelhassenTunisia
2012Monika HauserSwitzerland
2012Asma JahangirPakistan
2013Aga Khan IVUnited Kingdom
2013Suzanne JabbourLebanon
2014Maura LynchIreland
2014André AzoulayMorocco
2015Lora PappaGreece
2015Joaquim Alberto ChissanoMozambique
2016Giuseppina NicoliniItaly
2016Mbarka BrahmiTunisia
2017Kristiina KumpulaFinland
2017Abbas GulletKenya
2018Jaha Mapenzi DukurehGambia
2018Damien CarêmeFrance