The Permanent Mission of Italy to the International Organization in Vienna and the Permanent Mission of Italy to OSCE join the Farnesina’s “Red Benches” initiative, launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, on the International Women’s Day. This envisages the installation of a red bench in every Italian diplomatic mission in the world, as a symbol of the commitment in combatting all forms of violence and discrimination against women, in Italy and worldwide.
It is a powerful symbol of the empty place left in society by a woman victim of feminicide. As stressed by Minister Tajani, ‘we must sit on those benches and support women, fighting against violence but also against everyday discrimination’.
“Gender equality is a non-negotiable principle that we will not allow to erode. At the UN, we are strongly committed to promoting concrete actions to protect freedom from all forms of discrimination. At the same time, we defend a shared language that promotes women’s rights and is not willing to compromise in front of their violations” this is the message of the Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Debora Lepre.
For this Mission, which is already firmly committed to the gender perspective, joining the initiative was also an opportunity to inaugurate an exhibition of some of Giulia Neri’s artworks at its premises. The Bolognese illustrator boasts a vast portfolio of national and international collaborations and has long been part of the Farnesina Art Collection. The artworks selected for the exhibition at the Permanent Mission in Vienna mainly portray the world of women, represented in its many facets, with a special emphasis on women’s emancipation and gender-based violence.
