The North-South Center of the Council of Europe announced on Thursday January 16, 2024 that the 2023 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe is awarded to Ms. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of Morocco’s National Human Rights Council, for her “notable contributions to the defense and promotion of human rights”.

Ms. Amina Bouayach was “selected for her work in advancing human rights, gender equality and the prevention of torture at national level and in the African continent”, the North-South Centre said in a statement. The Jury praised Ms. Bouayach’s involvement and strong advocacy against the abolition of the death penalty and for her efforts in strengthening civil society structures in the Mediterranean region and strengthening North-South cooperation based on shared democratic values, they added. 

Ms. Bouayach is the first Moroccan woman and the third Moroccan distinguished personality to receive the North-South Prize. Late Mr. Abderrahmane Youssoufi, former Prime Minister of Morocco, received the award in1999, while Advisor to His Majesty the King, Mr. André Azoulay, received it in 2014.

Awarded each year since 1995 to two candidates, the Prize is a recognition for activists, personalities or organizations “who have stood out for their exceptional commitment to promoting North-South cooperation and solidarity”, according to the North-South Prize page. 

The list of Previous Laureates includes several heads of state and high-ranking officials (such as Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal and High Representative of the United Nations for the Alliance of Civilizations, Queen Rania of Jordan, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the 35th President of Brazil, Boris Tadić, the former President of the Republic of Serbia, and Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland). The list also includes Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, Suzanne Jabbour, the current Chairperson of the United Nations Subcommittee against Torture, along with other distinguished activists and organizations and high-ranking officials, from the North and the South.