14. May 2013

Council of Europe honours Monika Hauser with North-South Prize

Cologne, 14 May 2013. Monika Hauser, founder and Executive Member of the Board of medica mondiale, will be awarded the North-South Prize from the Council of Europe for 2012. The jury decided to award the prize to Monika Hauser in recognition of her contribution to providing assistance to women in crisis-torn countries, and in particular for women who experienced sexualised violence. The Council of Europe has awarded this prize every year since 1995 to two candidates who have stood out for their exceptional commitment to promoting human rights, intercultural exchange and North-South solidarity. Laureate for the South in 2012 is Asma Jilani Jahangir, Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist.

The award ceremony will be held on May 21, 2013 at 3:30pm in the Senate Room of the Portuguese Parliamentary Assembly in Lisbon. Ms Hauser and Ms Jahangir will accept their award from the President of the Portuguese Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva. Further speakers at the ceremony will be: Assunção Esteves, President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic; Gabriella Bataini, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; Deborah Bergamini, President of the Executive Council of the North-South Centre; and Mota Amaral, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The jury for the North-South Prize is made up of the General Secretary of the Council of Europe and members of the North-South Centre – an independent organisation within the CoE based in Lisbon. Laureates from previous years include Souhayr Belhassen, Tunisian journalist and President of the International Federation of Human Rights, and Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2004 to 2008. Further information can be found on the website of the Council of Europe.

Contact:

Mechthild Buchholz
Press Spokeswoman
E-Mail: mbuchholz(at)medicamondiale.org
Phone: +49 (0) 221 - 93 18 98 25