Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has concluded an official visit to Portugal on 28 and 29 October.
In Lisbon he met with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, and the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.
The visit provided an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation between the Council of Europe and Portugal, one year ahead of the 50th anniversary of its accession to the organisation. Discussions also focused on the need for European states to engage in a New Democratic Pact for Europe, a shared commitment aimed at enhancing democratic security on the continent and the need for democracies to be more agile and resilient. "It is time to accept that the world has changed and new conditions are needed to ensure the expression of democracy," Mr Berset said.
The Secretary General highlighted Portugal's active engagement in favour of multilateralism and its diplomacy's global outreach as well as its political and financial support to the Council of Europe North-South Centre, noting the Centre's unique role in promoting dialogue and cooperation with Europe and the Global South.
The Secretary General also convened a working dinner hosted at the Aga Khan Foundation, which was the opportunity for a debate on "Rethinking global balance: North-South dialogue in an era of East-West deadlock". Participants at the dinner included among others Samuel Mbemba Kabuya, Minister of Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mohamed Ben Salah Ben Aisa, Deputy Secretary General of the League of Arab States, as well as Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of civilizations.
North-South Prize ceremony
The Secretary General, in the presence of the President of Portugal, delivered a speech at the Portuguese Parliament for the award ceremony of the North-South Prize which rewarded Miguel Ángel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of civilizations, and an initiative that enables refugees to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Prize acknowledges major contributions to the protection of human rights, defence of democracy, or raising public awareness on issues of interdependence and global solidarity.
"The Council of Europe is first and foremost a peace project. Peace built on justice and international cooperation - vital for the preservation of human society and civilisation. This is what the North-South Centre is all about. And that is why this prize matters. The recipients we honour today are for dialogue, human dignity, and for hope," said Mr Berset at the ceremony.
AI of vital interest to Europe and the world
The visit was organised in the margins of the North-South Centre's Lisbon Forum 2025, held under the theme "AI and global governance: rights, representativity and readiness".
At the closure of the Forum, the Lisbon Declaration was adopted showing a clear recognition that a new landscape of global and regional governance is emerging for artificial intelligence.
The forum brought together more than 200 policymakers, legal professionals, civil society and youth representatives from across the world to discuss the need to govern artificial intelligence in a way that upholds human rights, democracy and cultural diversity.
