HH The Aga Khan / North-South Prize of the Council of Europe

Activities of the Imam and the Noorani family.
Post Reply
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

HH The Aga Khan / North-South Prize of the Council of Europe

Post by Admin »

coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre/NS_Prize_en.asp

Image

The winners of the 2013 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe are Susanne Jabbour and His Highness the Aga Khan

2013 North-South Prize - Award Ceremony on 12 June 2014 in Lisbon
The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe announces the award of the 2013 North-South Prize to His Highness Prince Aga Khan, Shah Karim al-Hussaini, and the Aga Khan Development Network , and Suzanne Jabbour.

Press Release here:

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre/NS_Pr ... 013_en.pdf
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Post by Admin »

some photos from the Portugal Presidency

Image

Image

Image


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Post by Admin »

http://www.akdn.org/Content/1277

Remarks by His Highness the Aga Khan at the North-South Prize Ceremony, Senate Hall, Parliament, Lisbon

12 June 2014


Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

President of the Republic of Portugal
President of the Parliament
Secretary-General of the Council of Europe
Government Ministers and Members of Parliament
President of the Portuguese Parliament’s Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Chair of the Executive Committee of the North‐South Centre
Fellow laureate, Suzanne Jabbour
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen


It is a singular pleasure for me to be here with you and to tell you how deeply honoured I am by this remarkable award.

This ceremony is particularly meaningful for me - for several reasons.

This award, first of all, has special significance because of who shares it - Madame Suzanne Jabbour. Her dedication to those who are tortured is an example that inspires us all. I know she will agree when I mention the list of those - from both South and North - who have received this award since 1995. It is a moving experience to have one’s work recognized alongside theirs.

In addition, of course, this prize has particular meaning because of those who organize it - the men and women of the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, who contribute so much to advancing democratic citizenship in our world. The Aga Khan Development Network has been proud to join with the Centre in distinguished projects such as the annual Lisbon Forum held at the Ismaili Centre.

The significance of this award is also enhanced for me by the fact that it has been presented by the President of Portugal, in the presence of so many eminent leaders, and in this splendid Parliamentary setting.

The Ismaili Imamat and the Aga Khan Development Network have had a long, close relationship with Portugal, built on shared values. Over many centuries, Portugal has welcomed and integrated people of diverse cultures. It was here on the Iberian Peninsula that Al-Andulus flourished for so long as a model of effective pluralism, a home for Christian and Jewish peoples that was also part of an Islamic empire. This is surely an appropriate place for celebrating the values associated with this award.

The North-South prize affirms principles which have long been animated and sustained by the work of the Aga Khan Development Network. Our Network seeks in many ways to improve the quality of human life, in health, education, in cultural and economic development. But our core conviction is that human progress depends on human cooperation, even across difficult lines of division.

As I observe the world, I am struck by the insufficiency of well-informed debate, of richer dialogue, of deeper education in our quest to avoid human conflict. That insufficiency often plagues relations between the North and the South-- and increasingly between the North and the Islamic world. Some have called this a clash of civilizations—I think it is, essentially, a clash of ignorances. What it means, in any case, is that institutions such as the North-South Centre have never been more important.

A related problem is the failure of so many to recognize that pluralism is not only a growing fact of life but also a blessing for their communities—an opportunity to be welcomed rather than a threat to be feared.

Since ancient times, great cultures have thrived because of their openness to diversity, and not because of their exclusivity. It was to address this issue that the Government of Canada and I created a new Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa in 2006.

Recently the Global Centre held its Third Annual Pluralism Lecture—a platform for global leaders to reflect on this topic. Our first two Lecturers in 2012 and 2013 were the former President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Roza Otunbayeva, and the former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan. This spring our guest lecturer was Antonio Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees since 2005. One reason I mention him here, of course, is because he was, for seven years, the Prime Minister of Portugal. Before that, as many of you know, he also played a key role in the refugee affairs with the Council of Europe, and its Parliamentary Assembly. His recent Lecture described, eloquently, the unprecedented scale and severity of the world’s refugee crises. He addressed, passionately, the moral challenge this crisis presents, the tragic impulse of some to exploit it, and the critical importance of standing together on behalf of human tolerance. I commend his words to you; they resonate powerfully with the purposes of the North-South Centre.

We inhabit an overcrowded and interconnected planet and yet we share a common destiny. A weakness or pain in one corner can rapidly transmit itself across the globe. The pervasive rejection of pluralism in all its forms plays a significant role in breeding destructive conflicts.

An example is the current situation in the Middle-East, where conflict is having a profound destabilising impact— in the region but also well beyond—including here in Europe.

Instability is infectious, but so is hope. And that it is why it is so important for us to carry the torch of hope as we seek to share the gift of pluralism.

Pluralistic values have been articulated since ancient times. Profound expressions about our common humanity are embedded in the world’s great religious traditions, including my own. But now it is for us to re-articulate those traditions. As we do so, our support for one another can be a source of renewed and growing strength.

It is ironic that a sense of intensified conflict comes at a time of unprecedented breakthroughs in communication technology. At the very time that we talk more and more about global convergence, we also seem to experience more and more social divergence. The lesson it seems to me is that technologies alone will not save us-- the critical variable will always be and will always lie in the disposition of human hearts and minds.

That, it seems to me, is what the work of the North-South Centre is all about, including our gathering today.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share with all of you in this experience - and in the great purposes to which it calls us.

Thank you.
Admin
Posts: 6687
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 10:37 am
Contact:

Post by Admin »

presidencia.pt/?idc=22&idi=85220&idl=2

Speech by the President of the Republic at the 19th Award Ceremony of the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe
Assembly of the Republic, 12 June 2014

It is with renewed satisfaction that I take part in the awards ceremony for the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe.

This Award recognizes people who, by their actions, stand out for contributing to the protection of human rights, the defence of democracy and the rule of law, and the promotion of freedom, intercultural dialogue and interdependence between peoples. The award-winning individuals are examples of hard work and perseverance and, often, many sacrifices.

Building on these common values inscribed in the structure of the Council of Europe, this Award has, over the years, honoured entities coming from many distinct contexts, thus highlighting the diversity and plurality of the North-South Centre.

The winners of this edition are clear examples of this: His Highness the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Development Network, and Dr. Suzanne Jabbour.

His Highness the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Development Network need no introduction. I only wish to underline the commitment and the role they have played in favour of strengthening civil society, the spirit of pluralism and respect for cultural diversity.

The Aga Khan Network, present in 30 countries, has long worked to improve people’s living conditions and access to opportunities, highlighting in particular, areas such as health, education, rural development, culture, architecture and entrepreneurship. Based on an impressive project, which develops partnerships with various public and private institutions, from governments to international organizations, businesses, foundations and universities.

I hope that this Award will also serve to stimulate cooperation between the Aga Khan Development Network and the North-South Centre itself.

Today we also pay tribute to Suzanne Jabbour, a doctor with a leading role in the promotion of human rights and, in particular, the fight against torture in prisons and detention centres in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Her work is concerned with supporting the rehabilitation of victims through a number of legal, medical and psychological support services.

Besides managing the NGO "Restart", the functions that Dr. Suzanne Jabbour carries out as Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, and Vice-Chairperson of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, are an additional testimony of her value and her dedication.

In previous sessions, areas revealing the importance and value of the North-South Centre have been highlighted. This year, I stress the aspect of human rights, a consensual issue in terms of words, but which in practice, unfortunately, still remains unfulfilled. The work of Suzanne Jabbour illustrates well this situation. I would also give particular mention to the prospects for education and development, underlying the action of the Aga Khan Network, which covers a broad spectrum of countries and social situations, including, for the last few years, Portugal.

This is therefore, just recognition of the commitment and work of these prize winners who, through concrete and inspiring accomplishments, mindful of society, chose to assume their responsibilities as people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome to this ceremony the highest representative of the Council of Europe. I hope that his presence will contribute to the commitment of all in reinforcing the role and mission of the North-South Centre.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the North-South Centre. The Centre was established as a platform for common dialogue, bringing together participants from the Europe and neighbouring regions for the promotion of universal values, thus contributing to the democratic process, through global education for citizenship and intercultural dialogue. It has the unique characteristic of bringing together, through its activities, representatives of governments, parliaments, regional and local authorities and civil society.

As I have already stated, in the last quarter century, the Centre has evolved enormously. The role it has played throughout this time, as a place for dialogue, is even more relevant today.

I am referring in particular, to the Southern "frontier", bearing in mind the political dynamics of these Countries. It is exciting to observe the growing interest shown in the Centre’s activity by countries South of the Mediterranean and from other parts of Africa. The 2014 edition of the Lisbon Forum will deal, precisely with the electoral process and democratic consolidation in the Southern Mediterranean.

The Centre currently has, amongst a greatly enlarged group of countries, networks of working groups centred on questions about young people and the rights of women. It undertakes, in particular, a very important role in the process of training and building the capabilities of young people to exercise citizenship, and prepare them to take an active role in the democratic process and in the political life of their countries. In this way it also contributes to the struggle, mostly amongst the younger age group, to combat growing disenchantment, alienation and absenteeism in democracy, a phenomenon that has come to affect our societies.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The work undertaken by the North-South Centre and its impact on people's daily lives, shows how, even in the difficult circumstances currently being faced, the Centre continues to deserve the political and institutional support of the Council of Europe and of all countries interested in strengthening the links between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

I reiterate the importance that Portugal attributes to the role of the North-South Centre. The Award ceremony, which is held annually in Lisbon, at the highest level, is, in itself, most revealing of our acknowledgement.

Thank you very much.
Post Reply