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On the margins of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, a debate on preventing conflicts and protecting human rights, which was initiated by the Swiss and German Foreign Ministers, took place on 21 September in New York, the United States of America. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius addressed the participants of the debate, noting that the prevention of conflicts was closely linked to the protection of human rights.

“Frequent human rights violations, discrimination and intolerance become the roots of conflict. We must respond immediately to human rights violations to prevent conflicts. Prevention practices are effective when carried out in close cooperation with human rights defenders, also when women’s participation in conflict resolution is increased,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

Linkevičius expressed his strong support for the activities of the UN Human Rights Council and of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and called for ensuring regular cooperation between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Security Council with a view to gain greater cohesion among the three pillars of the UN system: peace and security, human rights, and development.

The head of Lithuania’s diplomacy drew attention to the fact that as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2014-2015, Lithuania repeatedly initiated presentations of human rights violations in eastern Ukraine and in the Russian-occupied Crimea.

“The UN Security Council’s right to veto obscures perpetrator responsibility for blatant and horrifying human rights violations. This right has been abused to veto a Security Council resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, as well as a measure that would have established an international tribunal to prosecute persons responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17,” said Linkevičius.