• January 24, 2015
  • 273

Lithuanian authorities started discussions about human rights at the UN

On the 23rd of January, Lithuanian authorities started the discussions of the members of the United Nations Security Council and the representatives of UN about the role of human rights in UN peacekeeping missions.

“Currently, UN peacekeeping missions are comprised of many components – from the physical protection of the civilian population in conflict areas to strengthening national institutions, so they are able to provide peace and justice in the country on their own. The protection and improvement of human rights are one of the basic elements of the peacekeeping missions. The conflict is inevitable in the places where there are flagrant violations of human rights” – stated the permanent representative of Lithuania to the UN, the ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė.

The leaders of units responsible for the protection of human rights operating in UN missions in Haiti, Mali, Afghanistan, and Libya pointed out that providing human rights is the key element of the protection of the civilian population. While discussing the practical aspects of their activity, the members of UN stated that it is very important that the issues concerning human rights are reflected in the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and to ensure that the mandates of peacekeeping missions are as concrete as possible. The participants of the discussion also pointed out that preventing the human rights violation is often one of the most important ways of resolving conflicts; they pointed out that it is necessary to start actions against criminals, so they take responsibility for their disgraceful deeds.

The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović said that human rights advisers should reach conflict areas as fast as they can in order to prevent the growing violation of human rights.

The permanent mission of Lithuania to the United Nations started this debate to discuss the practical measures of strengthening the human rights component during the peacekeeping missions, and to seek new ways to protect human rights even more efficiently by the United Nations Security Council.

Human rights and the protection of civilian people in conflict areas are the priority of the Lithuanian authorities in the United Nations Security Council.

Lithuania is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period of 2014-2015.

Translated by Tomasz Szatkowski within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.

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