News

Lithuania took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and a Lithuanian representative will give a speech on behalf of the EU at the annual session of the European Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on July 1 in Geneva. The Lithuanian delegation led by the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Rolandas Kriščiūnas will take part in an almost month-long session at one of the most important bodies of the United Nations (UN), where main attention in discussions will be givent to science, technology, innovation and culture.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the Council session in Geneva; key announcements were made by the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Irina Bokova, Director of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Rolf-Dieter Heuer, and other important representatives of these fields.

While speaking on behalf of the EU, Kriščiūnas will underline that science, technology, innovation and culture are important. He is to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, climate change and food security challenges, as well as public health problems.

In the session, Lithuania will present successful initiatives in technology and science, including an invention by Biocentras that allows contaminated soil to be cleaned of oil. The invention was awarded with a prestigious Innovation Award by the European network EUREKA.

ECOSOC coordinates the economic and social activities of the EU member states, and the EU system for economic and social human progress. Special attention is paid to increased living standards, guaranteed right to employment, solutions for health problems, consolidation of human rights and freedoms, and fight against discrimination.

During the session, over 40 resolutions on development, social, humanitarian, human rights and other issues are to be adopted. The Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU will hold negotiations on behalf of the EU on specific ECOSOC resolutions and present EU statements.

Fifty-four countries are members of ECOSOC. Lithuania was a member of ECOSOC in 2005–2007. In 2006, it was elected Vice-President of the Council, and in 2007 the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, Ambassador Dalius Čekuolis, was elected as the President of ECOSOC for one year.