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On 24 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius delivered a speech at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister quoted the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, stressing the indivisibility of human rights, peace and progress, and the need to protect human rights by learning from past mistakes. L. Linkevičius also mentioned such worrying trends as the shrinking space for democracy and civil society, and the more frequent questioning of the multilateralism, based on the rule of law.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the challenges and threats facing journalists and human rights defenders, the human rights violations by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine and Georgia. In addition, L. Linkevičius stressed the need to promote respect for international law and the rule of law as the necessary elements conducive to ensuring respect for human rights. In view of the pressure exerted by Russia on judges and prosecutors who investigate the case of January 13, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister called for respect of judges and prosecutors of other states, as well as for their impartiality and freedom to act without facing any pressure from third parties.

As regards the important role of civil society in protecting human rights, the Foreign Minister presented the International Sakharov Hearings to be held in May 2020 after a 35-year break. The last Hearings took place in London. The revived Sakharov Hearings will focus on contemporary human rights issues, including the need to ensure the protection of human rights in the digital environment, climate change and gender equality.

At the Human Rights Council, the Foreign Minister presented Lithuania’s candidacy for the 2021 UN Human Rights Council. According to L. Linkevičius, having been elected as member of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and to the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Lithuania is determined to contribute to the strengthening of the multilateral human rights body and to the improvement of the global situation of human rights.

Lithuania has an observer status in the Human Rights Council and has submitted its candidacy for the membership of the Council for the period of 2022-2024.