Photo-exhibition:

(UN)CORNERED

(НЕ)ЗАГНАНІ У КУТ
by Ukrainian photographer Julia Wimmerlin

19 June 2025

Council of Europe

Agora Building

Opening remarks by DGI Director General Gianluca Esposito

Ladies and gentlemen,

Permanent Representatives,

Members of the Council of Europe’s Network of Focal Points on Migration,

Dear author of the exhibition, Julia Wimmerlin,

Distinguished guests, dear colleagues

It is an honour and a privilege to welcome you to the opening of this moving photo exhibition — (UN)CORNERED / (НЕ)ЗАГНАНІ У КУТ) — by Julia Wimmerlin.

This is not merely an exhibition. It is a visual chronicle of human dignity and quiet heroism. Through Julia’s powerful lens, we are invited to witness the resilience, strength, and unwavering hope of Ukrainian women who were forced to flee their homes in the wake of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

Europe has not seen such a vast displacement of people since the Second World War. Millions - overwhelmingly women and children - sought safety far from home, navigating uncertain futures. Each photograph displayed here tells one of those stories. Each image captures not just a face, but a journey. Not just a hardship, but a triumph of spirit.

From the very outset of this crisis, the Council of Europe has stood with Ukraine and its people. In line with our core mandate to uphold human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, we swiftly adapted our Action Plan on Migration and Asylum to help member states manage this unprecedented  challenge. Our member states’ reception of and protection afforded to Ukrainians who fled their country is praiseworthy. Our shared European values demanded nothing less.

[Earlier today, to mark World Refugee Day, Secretary General Alain Berset reminded us all of our collective duty. In his words:

“Protecting people who have no other option but to flee their homes in the face of violence and tyranny is not only our moral obligation — it is proof of our steadfast commitment to the values that unite us and will continue to shape our common European future.”

These photographs are a poignant affirmation of that commitment. They also remind us of the unbreakable strength of forcibly displaced women who, even when “cornered” by war and loss, refuse to be defined by victimhood. Instead, they define themselves through courage, through hope, and through quiet, daily acts of resilience.

The Council of Europe stands with them. And through this exhibition, we bear witness to their stories. Let us allow their images to challenge us, to inspire us, and most of all, to deepen our solidarity with refugees.

As this exhibition focuses on the experiences of Ukrainian  women under temporary protection in Switzerland, it is now my pleasure to invite to the floor His Excellency Boris Tarasyuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, who will be followed by Urs Beer, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland.

Thank you.