“One Desk. Two Marks” installation presented at the Palais des Nations in Geneva

From 15 to 19 June, the “One Desk. Two Marks” installation was on display at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, home to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). It is part of the global campaign “Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy”, launched by the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform in partnership with UNICEF.

The installation was presented with the support of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva. The school desk, divided into two halves, represents two possible childhood experiences: one half is damaged by war, while the other remains intact. It reflects the destruction inflicted on Ukrainian education by Russia’s aggression and serves as a reminder of every child’s right to learn in safety.

At the exhibition’s opening, Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, highlighted the scale of the damage to Ukraine’s educational infrastructure and its consequences for children and teachers.

“According to UNICEF and the United Nations, nearly 2,000 educational institutions in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed. Behind every figure is a child whose right to learn and develop has been damaged just as severely. A teacher forced to bring knowledge into a bomb shelter,” the First Lady noted.

Estonia’s First Lady, Sirje Karis, also contributed a video address to mark the opening. She had personally visited Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion and witnessed the destruction caused by the war.

The installation was first presented at the Fifth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv in September 2025. It became a physical embodiment of the global campaign “Every Generation Leaves Its Mark. Education Shapes Its Legacy”, developed by the Global Platform in partnership with UNICEF. Since then, the installation has been presented at international venues to draw attention to the impact of the war on Ukrainian children and their right to education.

“One Desk. Two Marks” reminds us that education must not stop because of war. Even when learning takes place in shelters, remotely during evacuation, or in temporary classrooms, children’s right to knowledge and development remains unchanged.