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At the meeting with diplomats who reside in Lithuania, Minister of Social Security and Labour Donatas Jankauskas and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė presented Director of the Gender Studies Centre at Vilnius University, Professor Dalia Leinartė as candidate of Lithuania to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

During the meeting in Vilnius on 12 April, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Skaisgirytė Liauškienė gave a speech about Lithuania’s achievements and best practices in the field of women’s rights and gender equality.

Skaisgirytė Liauškienė acquainted participants with results of the Lithuanian Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Presidency of the Community of Democracies, also plans for the nearest future with regard to the United Nations and coordination of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation.

Members of diplomatic representations were acquainted with development cooperation projects that are oriented towards the improvement of women’s rights in Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Afghanistan, and financed by Lithuania.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is an expert UN body, which watches over the progress for women made in those countries that are the parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and provides recommendations. 187 countries are the parties to the Convention.

The Committee is composed of 23 experts. In 2012, eleven new experts will be elected as members of the Committee. Lithuania has nominated Leinartė as its candidate to the Committee for the period 2013-2016. The election will be held on 26 June 2012.