Opening remarks by Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Chumakov at the opening ceremony of the exposition of artworks by Galina Shevlak on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the exposition of artworks by Madam Galina Shevlak. Luckily we have the author with us here today, so I invite all of you to give a warm welcome to Galina and greet her with a round of applause.
As all of you, I’m sure, have noticed, we are not standing in front of a regular exhibition today. There is a very special way how these masterpieces are created. A hundred years ago all these images could not have materialized and would serve only for the benefit of an artist who sees them in his head. But a lot has changed since then, and today technology enables all artists to create - regardless of their physical conditions. And the result of this creation - you can see it right behind me - serves for the benefit of all of us. That’s a technological progress serving the best merits of mankind, indeed.
I would like to use this opportunity to invite all of you, colleagues, to take a minute of break from an endless marathon, we are going through daily in this building. Wherever you’ll be running - to meetings, panels, informals, bilaterals - just take a moment, a minute, it’s not much. Slow down and look at these pieces. Because in them you won’t only see flowers, bright colors and comforting sceneries - look beyond - it’s not just an exposition of art, it’s the exposition of human spirit. Human will to create. And human desire to bring joy, peace and harmony to others. That’s truly invaluable, and that is what lies at the heart of Sustainable Development Goals and the UN’s principles. Humanity should praise and cherish it.
Today I’m also pleased to greet colleagues from UN Secretariat. DESA has contributed a lot to the organization of this exhibition, and we were delighted to work together with the Department throughout the organization of this exposition. I now would like to invite to speak Miss Akiko Ito, Chief of the Secretariat on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of UN DESA. The floor is yours, Madam.
