News

On 7 October, Lithuania marks the 20th anniversary of its membership in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one of the most important international organizations in promoting global peace and security through cooperation in the areas of education, science, culture and communications.

After the twenty years of its membership in UNESCO, Lithuania has implemented numerous projects and programmes that generated multiple benefits for the country’s education, science and culture. As a member of UNESCO, Lithuania not only effectively uses the opportunities offered by its membership, but also enhances its international reputation and the prestige of the country.

During this period, the country’s four sites were included into the UNESCO World Heritage List: Vilnius Historic Center, Curonian Spit, Kernavė Archaeological Site and Struve Geodetic Arc. The song and dance celebrations, cross-crafting and its symbolism, and Lithuanian multipart songs were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

UNESCO was associated with such anniversaries: the 450th anniversary of the publication the first Lithuanian book “The Common Words in Catechism” by Martynas Mažvydas in 1996-1997; the 200th birth anniversary of poet Adomas Mickevičius (Adam Mickiewicz) in 1998-1999; the 200th birth anniversary of geologist, mineralogist and ethnologist Ignotas Domeika (Ignacy Domeyko), a honorary citizen of Chile with the background of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy in 2002-2003;  the date of the 100th commemoration of the receiving back the Lithuanian press in Latin characters in 2004-2005.

This year, together with UNESCO we mark the 100th death anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, who was a painter, composer, and a pioneer of the professional music in Lithuania, also the 100th death anniversary of poet, novelist and essayist Czesław Miłosz (Česlovas Milošas), a Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature.

UNESCO held a number of events of international significance in Lithuania. In 2000, UNESCO organized an international conference on dialogue among civilizations involving several dozens of political leaders and highest-ranking officials. The International Conference on Bioethics in Central and Eastern Europe was convened in 2002. The conference gave the impetus to set up national bioethics committees in the region. In 2006, a session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Vilnius. The session was chaired by the then Permanent Representative of Lithuania to UNESCO, Ambassador Ina Marčiulionytė, and attended by almost a thousand participants.

The Permanent Representation of Lithuania to UNESCO and the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO in close cooperation with other state institutions contribute significantly to the shaping of a positive image of Lithuania within UNESCO.  At the efforts of late Ambassador Ugnė Karvelis and other diplomats, the name of Lithuania is well known within the organization. The country’s most famous artists, writers and scholars are celebrated and their work is presented in major exhibition centers and concert halls in Paris.

President Valdas Adamkus is named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and discus thrower was designated UNESCO Champion for Sport.

Today the organization counts 193 Member States.