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Ambassador, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to open an exhibition featuring work from an extraordinary range of inspiring women artists.

The Republic of Moldova’s Permanent Representation has established a fine tradition of bringing creative and thought-provoking art to this space.

But I am moved to say that the theme binding together these exhibits is particularly pertinent.

Women in Art for Peace goes to the heart of the Council of Europe’s understanding about the potential of the arts and culture to bridge gaps between the people, communities and countries of our continent.

The works on display today are many but varied, manifest but intangible, striking but subtle – and it is a pleasure to have them here.

Among the company of woman artists for peace, I feel compelled to point out that women remain under-represented in both formal peace and reconciliation processes and in the exhibition of artistic works in many of our most important galleries and museums.

This is despite empirical evidence that women are impactful peace agents and, as you all know, a source of extraordinary creativity.

So it is in all our interests – including men’s – that gender equality should advance in the arena of arts and culture - and more broadly too.

That is our vision here at the Council of Europe.

To give you just a few recent examples on conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace-building, our Committee of Ministers has adopted multiple recommendations calling for the balanced participation of men and women at all levels, representing all spheres of society.

In the creative industries, it adopted last year a Recommendation to member States on gender equality in the audiovisual sector.

And our latest Gender Equality Strategy, beginning this year, will help those member States address many challenges including, as a priority, the protection of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women.

At an uncertain time in Europe, some things are constant:

The value of arts and culture, the just cause of gender equality, and the contribution of both to the peace we all seek and need.

So our thanks go to these talented artists for sharing their vision with us.

And our particular thanks also to the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Moldova, the International Peace Institute and Europe’s Art.

Without their support this exhibition would not have been possible.

I hope that all of you can take the time to experience, and be moved by it, today.