Gediminas Tower lit in blue on UN anniversary

Many iconic landmarks across the globe also joined the campaign, including the United Nations Headquarters, New York City’s skyscraper the Empire State Building, Tokyo Sky Tree, the City Hall of Brussels, the Town Hall of Athens and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Jet d’Eau fountain in Geneva, the Hague City Hall and the Peace Palace, the Angel of Independence Monument and the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City.

“The anniversary of the United Nations is a good opportunity to assess significant achievements of the UN in the maintenance of international peace and security, also to try to find ways to reform the UN and to adapt the organisation to global challenges today, so that it would be able to effectively prevent conflict and aggression, attempts to redraw state borders, the spread of terrorism, and human rights violations,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius.

According to the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy, the UN membership and the current membership of the UN Security Council gave Lithuania the opportunity to become directly involved in world politics and to strive to implement the principles of equality and practices of democracy and respect for human rights in international relations. “Lithuania’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council is of particular significance. It is also a testament of our country’s international recognition and the UN community’s confidence in Lithuania’s diplomacy,” he said.

Lithuania’s key priorities in the UN Security Council include the issue of external aggression against Ukraine, the consolidation of the rule of law and democratic values in international relations and conflict resolution practices, strengthening the fight against international terrorism, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the protection of the rights of women and children, the safety of journalists, the promotion of openness and transparency in the Council work.

Lithuania won an absolute majority in the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council for the term 2014-2015.