G. Landsbergis: The UN needs to change in response to growing tensions

As Lithuania ends its leadership of the First Committee of the 78th session of the UN, which deals with international security and disarmament issues, the head of Lithuania’s diplomacy emphasized that, despite this, the UN remains a platform for holding Russia and other authoritarian regimes responsible for the attack on Ukraine.

“It is necessary for the United Nations to change and react more quickly to the changes dictated by the times, to the ever-increasing tensions in the world. However, this organization remains the main platform for raising the responsibility of Russia and other authoritarian regimes for the ongoing global security. And Lithuania consistently and persistently did that”, – the head of Lithuanian diplomacy is quoted in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Rytis Paulauskas and the entire presidency team participated in the preparation of 29 plenary meetings of the committee.

During Lithuania’s presidency, debates of United Nations member states and about 150 votes were organized.

This year, the aforementioned UN committee adopted 61 documents on the topics of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, cyber security, and global and regional arms control, according to the report.

At the meetings of the committee, the member states raised the issues of Russian aggression against Ukraine and related violations of international agreements and war crimes, condemned Russia for dangerous nuclear rhetoric and actions: the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, the endangerment of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, the cancellation of the ratification of the Global Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that North Korea has also received condemnation for increasing nuclear escalation in the region and arms transfers between North Korea and Russia that violate UN Security Council resolutions.

At the time, following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, the First Committee’s discussion was dominated by concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

“While chairing the UN First Committee, Lithuania contributed to the international community’s responsible efforts to strengthen international security by supporting and supporting the arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation system and by further developing contacts with security experts from various regions,” the ministry asserts.