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On 23 June 2025, a global art installation titled Thinking of You was unveiled outside the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg. The installation is dedicated to victims of sexual violence in conflict. Latvia’s Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe, alongside several other Council of Europe member states, the General Consulate of Kosovo, and the human rights advocacy organisation René Cassin, played an active role in the implementation of this project.
The aim of the art project is to draw broad public attention to the disproportionate suffering of women in armed conflicts and unrest around the world, and to highlight the ongoing impunity for crimes of sexual violence in many places. The visual message of the project features dresses donated by survivors of sexual violence as well as by individuals expressing solidarity, including Council of Europe diplomats and officials.
War can have a profound psychological impact and cause trauma that requires immediate support. Latvia’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe, Agnese Vilde, noted that since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Latvia has been implementing support and rehabilitation projects to assist women and girls in Ukraine who have suffered sexual violence as a result of the aggression. Promoting gender equality and inclusive societies is also one of Latvia’s priorities for its term on the United Nations Security Council (2026–2027).
Latvia is part of the UN’s Women, Peace and Security programme, which aims to promote gender equality, combat sexual violence in armed conflicts, and support the active involvement of women in peacebuilding and resilience efforts.
The opening event was attended by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos, and the project’s creator – conceptual artist Alketa (full name Alketa Xhafa Mripa). Council of Europe officials emphasised the need for more effective international action and global efforts to prevent and address these serious crimes, as well as to support survivors.
The Council of Europe has several tools at its disposal, including the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, which provides support to member states in tackling sexual violence.
The installation will be on display outside the Council of Europe until 26 June and will then move to Strasbourg’s old town, where it can be viewed from 27 June to 4 July.
Thinking of You is a global project previously exhibited in The Hague in June 2024. It is scheduled to be shown in New York this autumn to mark the 25th anniversary of the UN Security Council resolution on Women, Peace and Security.
The event at the Council of Europe was organised as part of Latvia’s public diplomacy programme in support of its candidacy campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council. On 3 June 2025, Latvia was elected to the Security Council for the term beginning on 1 January 2026 and ending on 31 December 2027.
Latvia’s participation in the Security Council will be one of the most significant tools for advancing the country’s foreign policy interests. The overarching goal is to safeguard and strengthen an international environment conducive to Latvia’s security, making use of – and further enhancing – the opportunities offered by multilateral diplomacy.