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On May 24 at the seminar in the Foreign Ministry, which discussed the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė called for joining the international effort to protect women and recognizing their role in settling conflicts and consolidating peace.

“We see that civilians suffer dramatically during the conflicts, especially the weak and outcasts: women, children, and elderly people. That is why we cannot remain indifferent to this experience, so we contribute to the international effort to protect women and girls, to recognise their role in resolving conflicts and consolidating peace,” the Vice-Minister noted in her opening remarks.

She stressed that the practical implementation of the resolution still lacked effort, but the United Nations Security Council’s national plan of measures for the implementation of the resolution, which was adopted in December 2011, will help considerably to spread the message about the situation of women and ways to improve it.

Participants of the event were also welcomed by Lithuanian Deputy Minister for Social Security and Labour, President of the Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men Audrius Bitinas.

At the seminar, speeches were also delivered by experts from the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office, Sweden’s Folke Bernadotte Academy and the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations of the Swedish Armed Forces. Representatives from the Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Defence, the Joint Headquarters of Lithuanian Armed Forces and non-governmental organizations shared their experiences.

The discussion by the end of the seminar attempted to specify in more detail what Lithuania needed for faster and smoother implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000). It was agreed that it was necessary to disseminate information about the principles of the resolution and to further develop the national plan of measures. According to the participants of the seminar, the governmental and non-governmental sectors should continue to strengthen cooperation in the field of the implementation of the resolution, share ideas and support one another when pursuing joint activities. They also agreed to continuously share experiences and information with international organizations and other countries.

The implementation of this resolution is also important for Lithuania, which aims to strengthen the role of women in Lithuanian society and internationally, to increase the representation of Lithuanian women at all levels in international organisations and their engagement in international peacekeeping missions.

The implementation of this resolution is also Lithuania’s international obligation, because the country is an upcoming Presidency of the EU Council and a candidate to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2014-2015. The aim is to make the implementation of this resolution part of Lithuania’s foreign and security policy, also part of the country’s development cooperation policy.

The UNSC resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security was adopted unanimously on 31 October 2000. On that day, women’s role and experience in preventing armed conflicts and resolving them were assessed for the first time in the UN history. The resolution commits all member countries to ensure greater representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions.