I am delighted and
privileged to address this Assembly. I believe that this
is the right place to discuss the issues of greatest
concern to the international community. Recent years
have been marked by many challenges. All countries,
large and small, had to tackle the financial and
economic downturn. They also had to deal with the
painful consequences of natural and man-created
disasters. In a global world, all our countries must
share responsibility for the future. The scale of our
deeds and the openness of our hearts will make the
difference, not the size of our countries and territories.
Here, I would like to share some views of my country,
Lithuania.
Let me start with our proposals in the fields of
security and the environment. Lithuania has launched
an initiative to introduce in the General Assembly a
draft resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons.
Lithuania wants to strengthen international efforts in
raising public awareness about dangerous munitions
buried in the sea. It is in every country’s interest to
support a voluntary information exchange in order to
strengthen common security. Everyone must be aware
how lethally dangerous these dumped chemicals still
are. We need to have guidelines on how to behave in
case of disaster. That is why United Nations
involvement and an eventual resolution on this issue
are so indispensable. That is why I call on the United
Nations to take a much more active role in very
concrete projects, even if they may not seem big
enough for global attention.
Gender equality is another topic of vital
importance for the nations of the world. We decided to
promote it in the framework of the Community of
Democracies. That is another example of precisely
focused action. Gender equality issues are rarely
associated with issues like overcoming the economic
crisis or stopping climate change. However, it has been
estimated that the elimination of gender discrimination
in the labour market in Europe, for example, could
increase gross domestic product by as much as 30 per
cent.
It seems that the Lithuanian people have decided
to test this estimate in practice, and I can give an
example. It is no surprise to us that women in
Lithuania hold a number of top positions in politics and
business. It is only natural that Lithuanian women have
made their own the famous saying: When the going
gets tough, the tough get going. But we still need much
more coordinated effort. Gender equality on a global
scale will become possible only when a certain level of
security and economic development is achieved. Let us
all put all our efforts together to eradicate intolerance
and discrimination, which so often are the main
reasons for the many conflicts in the world. By doing
this we also pave the road to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals that we all aspire to. European
Union activities such as the European Institute for
Gender Equality, based in Lithuania, can serve to lead
other regions. I strongly hope that the high-level
meeting on gender equality issues which will be held
within the framework of the Community of
Democracies in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 30 June next
year will explore many more new ideas and good
practices.
Security, the environment and gender equality: all
are interdependent, and all need to be adequately
addressed on the international agenda. That is a
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prerequisite for ensuring sustainable development. The
European Union has been for years the largest and
most responsible donor worldwide, the best example
for any country willing to contribute. These European
values are very dear to my country, which has been a
member of the European Union since 2004. Lithuania
has limited resources, but we have provided
humanitarian aid to Haiti, Pakistan, Moldova, Ukraine,
Russia and other countries.
We have engaged in such difficult initiatives as
the training of the national security forces of
Afghanistan. Working together with the people of Ghor
province in Afghanistan, Lithuania has funded a
number of community-based education programmes,
built 19 schools which have opened up their doors also
for girls, founded the first public library in the
province’s capital of Chaghcharan. That is our modest
contribution, but it works. I am sure that each time we
implement a concrete project we move closer to
achieving our global objectives all together.
I invite all the leaders gathered here to contribute.
We should welcome, support and multiply any and
every constructive effort, however small it may seem
to us. Only joint efforts and concrete deeds will bring
positive change to international politics. Let us develop
initiatives, let us implement them, let us implement the
best practices and let us work together.