Geneva, 20 November 2025 – The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is partnering with Swiss artist Franziska Greber to present DISARMING SILENCE, an immersive art installation raising awareness about violence against women and girls, including sexual violence in conflict. The exhibition is open to the public from 25 November to 10 December 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Displayed during the global campaign for 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, DISARMING SILENCE invites reflections about on the power of visibility and collective voice in confronting gender-based violence.
The art installation will feature large fabric panels made from more than 600 women’s shirts and dupattas collected by the artist and her collaborators in various parts of the world, including Chile, China, Germany, India, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. Each garment carries handwritten testimonies of gender-based violence, creating a collective record of women’s experiences.
Much like UNIDIR’s research, this artwork exposes the ubiquity of violence against women, which is an issue of concern to the UN and the diplomatic community. We know that weapons are used to facilitate gender-based violence and to commit femicides. Arms control and disarmament must be a part of the solution to this problem.
Renata Hessmann Dalaqua, Head of the Integrated Approaches – Gender and Disarmament Programme at UNIDIR
In connection with the art installation, UNIDIR will host a high-level event on 8 December. In partnership with the Global Survivors Fund, the event will bring together experts and practitioners working with survivors to discuss the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and art in mobilizing action against gender-based violence.
UNIDIR’s Integrated Approaches Programme works to ensure that youth and gender perspectives strengthen arms control, disarmament and peacebuilding efforts. Through its dedicated research and policy engagement, the programme supports practical actions that promote equality, inclusion and human security.
For further information, please contact Claudia Marquina, UNIDIR Head of Communications at claudia.marquina@un.org.
About UNIDIR
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) is a voluntarily funded, autonomous institute within the United Nations. One of the few policy institutes worldwide focusing on disarmament, UNIDIR generates knowledge and promotes dialogue and action on disarmament and
security. Based in Geneva, UNIDIR assists the international community to develop the practical, innovative ideas needed to find solutions to critical security problems. For more information, visit unidir.org.
About the artist
Franziska Greber is a Swiss artist and psychotherapist whose work addresses societal and political tensions such as exclusion, participation, silence and resistance. She has worked for over three decades on projects against violence, discrimination and gender stereotypes. Her artistic practice is informed by her experience as a psychotherapist specializing in trauma and the abuse of power.