Council of Europe Honors 75 Women for Lasting Impact
Corina Călugăru, Ana Racu, and Oxana Gîscă are among the 75 women recognized for their remarkable contributions to the Council of Europe.
Their achievements are highlighted in the exhibition "75 Women Who Have Marked the Council of Europe," which recently opened at the Council's headquarters in Strasbourg.
Ambassador Corina Călugăru, who served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the Council of Europe from 2015 to 2021 and is currently Moldova's Ambassador to France, played a pivotal role in establishing a cooperation platform between IT and artificial intelligence companies and the Council's ad-hoc committee on artificial intelligence. The Council of Europe also recognizes her contributions to anti-trafficking efforts and the promotion of human rights.
Ana Racu, a former expert with the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and current Vice-President of the Moldovan Parliament's Committee on National Security, Defense and Public Order, is credited with being one of the key figures behind the reform of Moldova's criminal justice system. The Council of Europe further highlights her 23 years of dedication to promoting humane conditions in police stations and prisons across Europe.
Oxana Gîscă, Director of the Supervision and Compliance Department within the Anti-Money Laundering Service of Moldova, played a vital role in negotiating and drafting the Council of Europe's Convention on Money Laundering, Detection, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism. In 2023, she was elected President of the Conference of the Parties to this Convention.
The exhibition also features the current Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the first woman to hold this position, Catherine Lalumiere (1989-1994), the two-term Secretary General Gabriela Battaiani-Dragoni, and the first woman President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Leni Fischer (1996).
Author: Anatol Caciuc, Strasbourg, Council of Europe
Translation by Iurie Tataru
