News

Today, the 38th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) in Paris elected Lithuania (171 votes) as a member of the Executive Council for the period 2015–2019.

“Working in this forum, which is so important for the entire international community, Lithuania will defend and be consistent with the values and principles that are guiding its Security Council activity,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister particularly underlined the importance of ensuring the continuity of Lithuania’s policy and implementation of strategic objectives, also his belief that the membership of the Executive Board would create even more opportunities for Lithuania to act at the global level.

“The UNESCO member states’ great confidence in us is a sign of appreciation and also obliges us. We are so glad to be able to contribute to the solution of issues, which are very important for the entire organization,” said the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to UNESCO, Ambassador Arūnas Gelūnas.

At the Executive Board of UNESCO, which marks its 70th anniversary this year, Lithuania will seek more efficient ways to implement UNESCO’s long-term priorities, particularly in the educational, scientific and cultural fields. Lithuania will dedicate great attention to the protection of cultural values, women’s empowerment and gender equality, the freedom of expression, the diversity of cultural expressions, ensuring respect for religious diversity, organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

UNESCO’s member states attending the 38th session of the General Conference, the organization’s highest governing body, have elected 31 new members to the Executive Board. Lithuania was elected in the Eastern European electoral group along with the Russian Federation, Serbia and Slovenia.

Lithuania was previously elected as a member of the Executive Council for the periods 1997–2001 and 2005–2009.