In her speech, Commission Vice-President Reding noted that the photojournalism exhibition highlighted a different side of Afghan life, often neglected in European media coverage. She emphasised Europe’s lack of knowledge about the 14.5 million Afghan women who live in the country and said that this exhibition would help to inform people outside Afghanistan about the lives of women in the country. Selecting two photographs from the exhibition, one depicting women about to vote, the other of a young woman reading a book and looking confidently into the lens of the camera, Viviane Reding noted that, for her, these photographs in particular, symbolised the hope of a positive future for Afghan women.

Exhibition co-curator Khorshied Samad set the context for the exhibition saying that despite the extreme material poverty present in Afghanistan, many people fall in love with the country on their first visit. She highlighted that the women featured in the photos were helping to create a brighter and more hopeful future for their country, despite the considerable obstacles they faced on a daily basis. She read a short contribution from her co-curator Jane McElhone, who was unable to attend, noting that despite the grave situation in Kabul, many women professionals were refusing to leave the country, instead choosing to utilise their skills to help rebuild Afghan society.