On June 24, the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, we inaugurated our “75 Women in 75 Years of Council of Europe History” exhibition at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg. The exhibition is a tribute to the many women, often unknown, who have been part of the Council of Europe since its creation.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, opened the exhibition alongside the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Sandy Moss, and the EU Ambassador, Vesna Batistić Kos. In their speeches, they highlighted how far things have progressed since the early days of the Council of Europe when there were hardly any women to be seen in the pictures, even though they have always been an essential part of the Organisation.
Some of the women featured in the project honoured us with their presence, such as Marija Pejčinović Burić, Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Feride Acar, Síofra O’Leary, Marialena Tsirli, Anna Austin, Anne Nègre, Ingjerd Schou, Fiona O’Loughlin, Anne Brasseur, Dagmar Heindler, Edite Estrela, Svetlana Geleva, and Liliane Maury Pasquier.
Highlighting the remarkable contributions of women
This exhibition is the culmination of the awareness-raising campaign we have been running on social networks for several months. It showcases 75 women who have had a significant impact on the Organisation and highlights the remarkable contributions of women in the fields of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, both in the past and in the present work of the Institution. We emphasise that this group represents only a small portion of the many women who have played an integral role in the Council of Europe’s journey.
They represent different periods of time, fields of work, institutions, and roles. What they have in common is that they are pioneers, trailblazers, and agents of change. Many women in this exhibition were the first women in their respective positions, breaking barriers, challenging the status quo, and fighting for women’s representation.
Women in diplomacy: a panel discussion
A panel discussion titled “75 women, 75 years of the Council of Europe: women in diplomacy” followed the inauguration event. The event was organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe, the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe, the Permanent Representation of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe, the Women@PACE, the informal group of women Deputy Permanent Representatives, and the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
Participants included Committee of Ministers’ Deputies Chair Andrius Krivas, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly Despina Chtzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs and the Labour Market Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, the former President of GREVIO, Feride Acar, Parliamentary Assembly member Petra Bayr and the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe Tanja Gonggrijp.
To learn more about our exhibition and the project “75 Women in 75 Years of the Council of Europe History”, please visit our website: www.coe.int/75women