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During the 16th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 2 March, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė presented priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Community of Democracies, the agenda of the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Lithuania’s position on the United Nations Human Rights Council’s review process.

In response to recent events on the international arena regarding mass protests in Libya, the Vice-Minister welcomed the resolution that the UN General Assembly adopted unanimously to suspend Libya’s rights of membership in the UN Human Rights Council.

The Vice-Minister highlighted the well-coordinated actions of the two main UN institutions in the face of necessity to make an immediate decision regarding the human rights situation in Libya.

According to the Vice-Minister, such actions establish a precedent that the membership in the Human Rights Council directly depends on the quality of a certain country’s commitments to the human rights standards.

Lithuania’s representative emphasized the importance of the Community of Democracies in ensuring human rights and democratic governance. Lithuania chairs the Community of Democracies until July 2011.

“Human rights issues – especially human rights education and education for democracy, gender equality, freedom of expression and internet freedom, and support for civil society - have played an important role in the activities of the Community of Democracies,” A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė said.

She also stressed that security had always been measured in terms of individual well-being within the OSCE. According to the Vice-Minister, our societies are the safest when human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are upheld.

A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė said that the priorities of Lithuania’s chairmanship of the OSCE included the issues of the freedom of expression, pluralism, promotion of tolerance through education and combating hate crimes.

The Vice-Minister invited the participants of the Council to take part in the OSCE conference on the safety of journalists in Vilnius in June.

When speaking about the UN Human Rights Council’s review process, A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė emphasized the importance of the institution’s ability to respond to crisis situations, such as the recent developments in North Africa. The Vice-Minister spoke for maintaining the independence of special procedures and of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Human Rights Council is a human rights body within the UN system, established by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006. The Council’s main purpose is to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and to address situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.  Lithuania holds observer status with the UN Human Rights Council.