YouSaid · the spoken record

Paulauskas

lines on the record: 102
first: 2022-01-18
most recent: 2023-12-07
sittings or episodes: 16
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In January the independent experts of the Human Rights Council called for an immediate independent investigation into gross human rights abuses and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mali since 2021 by Government forces and the private military contractor known as the Wagner Group. Today’s meeting is a good opportunity to take a comprehensive look at all aspects of transnational organized criminal activities, including the linkages between the mercenaries and the organized crime groups that threaten global peace and security. We encourage the United Nations to continue working with the relevant regional organizations to ensure the monitoring and prevention of all aspects of transnational crime by identifying and addressing rising threats and seeking to achieve full accountability.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Thirdly, the increased use of mercenaries in areas of conflict leads to increased violence against civilians, adding to suffering and causing humanitarian disasters. That includes Russia’s so-called private yet State-supported and State-financed military companies dispatched to engage in combat across Africa and in Syria and Ukraine in disregard of international law, particularly humanitarian law. The most prominent of those is the Wagner Group, which is already subject to EU sanctions for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and under the global human rights sanctions regime.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Secondly, the international community must significantly increase security and stability in cyberspace, including by strengthening its resolve to combat the growing threats emanating from both States and non-State actors. States need to act in order to prevent, discourage and respond to malicious activities in cyberspace. In that regard we are convinced of the great value of the proposed programme of action to advance responsible State behaviour in the use of information and communications technologies in the context of international security. In addition, the international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes that is currently being negotiated should evolve into a focused international legal instrument that is fully compatible with human rights.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“First, I would like to underscore the issue of the instrumentalization of migration organized by criminal smuggling networks and facilitated by State institutions in Belarus and Russia. Since the summer of 2021, the Belarusian regime has been organizing the entry of people from third countries into Belarus, promising them easy access to Europe. The regime has been using threats and physical force to illegally push migrants to cross the borders of the Baltic countries, in an example of the hybrid attacks being used to destabilize the situation in the region. We have recently been observing similar attempts by Russia on our region’s borders. The Baltic States once again call on the international community to firmly demand that Belarus and Russia comply with their international obligations.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Strengthening the capacities of law enforcement, advocating for transparency and fostering international cooperation are vital if we are to realize the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 16. Additionally, the interplay of conflict and crime dynamics, along with the resulting threats to human security, serves as a catalyst for migration and displacement, with a disproportionate impact on women and children. I would like to highlight just three areas of particular concern, where transnational organized crime activities have undermined international and regional security both directly and by creating conditions conducive to other serious violations. They are the smuggling of migrants, cybercrime and mercenary activities.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the three Baltic States — Estonia, Latvia and my own country, Lithuania. We also align ourselves with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union (EU). We thank the Ecuadorian presidency for organizing this open debate on the issue of transnational organized crime. Criminal networks violate the principles of human rights, justice and legitimacy through involvement in activities such as corruption, illicit financial transactions, human trafficking and violence. Illicit financial flows deflect resources away from public services and development efforts, impeding the establishment of institutions based on transparency and accountability. They create a significant obstacle to mobilizing the domestic resources that are critical to driving development efforts.”
2023-12-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9497Resumption1 (2023) · source
“Moreover, by abusing its veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia has rendered the Council paralysed to act. The deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime. The international community has a responsibility to ensure full accountability for the perpetrators of atrocity crimes in order to bring about sustainable peace and give justice to the victims and prevent the recurrence of such crimes anywhere in the world in the future. That is why we need to support Ukraine in establishing a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Furthermore, according to the International Organization for Migration, there are an estimated 5.1 million internally displaced persons within Ukraine, with many Ukrainian refugees abroad. More than 4 million Ukrainians have sought shelter in the European Union, including over 100,000 in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. In Lithuania’s schools alone there are over 8,000 pupils form Ukraine, to whom our Government provides all the necessary assistance for their schooling needs. The financial needs for humanitarian assistance are truly significant. We must therefore all contribute to closing the existing financial gaps to allow United Nations and international assistance to reach all those in need. Russia’s war of aggression, enabled by Belarus, is a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“The International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for Russian President Putin and Commissioner Lvova- Belova is the first step in the right direction, and we encourage continued international scrutiny to ensure full accountability and the repatriation of the children. We welcome the recent signing of the Ukraine-United Nations joint preventive plan to prevent and stop grave violations of children’s rights in Russia’s armed aggression. I would also like to thank United Nations agencies for their assistance efforts. According to recent reports, there are over 17.6 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance; 4.1 million of those being children.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“At least 3,281 educational institutions have been impacted by fighting, with 262 destroyed and 3,019 damaged, 54 per cent of them in the eastern front-line areas. The psychological effects of the war trauma on children will have far-reaching consequences on the future. For those cruel acts, Russia was added to the list of parties committing grave violence against children by the Secretary-General. The situation of Ukrainian children forcefully deported to Russia and Belarus, subjected to pro- Russia re-education and military training, turned into Russian citizens and illegally adopted deserves our immediate attention. We must ensure the children’s repatriation and accountability for perpetrators.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“Yet another heinous attack on civilians in Chernihiv killed seven people, including a 6-year-old girl, Sophia Holynska, and wounded 144 people, among them people celebrating an Orthodox Christian holiday. Children are particularly victims in this war. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 541 people had been killed up to August, with 1,139 others injured. Many more were forced to flee their homes, have lost their families and friends and are unable to attend school or receive proper medical care. Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression, millions of children and their caregivers have been exposed to hostilities along the front lines and through missile strikes in cities.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“I thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity to make this statement to the Security Council on behalf of Estonia, Latvia and my own country, Lithuania. I also thank Under-Secretary- General Rosemary DiCarlo, Ms. Kateryna Rashevska and Mr. Mykola Kuleba for their insightful briefings. As we congratulate Ukraine on its independence day today, we continue to witness Russia’s ongoing aggression aimed at taking that independence away. Deliberate attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are a war crime. The destruction of civilian and critical infrastructure deprives people of access to water and food and heating, health and other essential services, destroying the livelihoods of entire families and in particular affecting children, women and the elderly.”
2023-08-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9404 (2023) · source
“We welcome all the efforts of our global partners to reach peace in Ukraine in line with Ukraine’s peace formula, the Charter of the United Nations and international law.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“The core group on the creation of a special tribunal for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine will hold its fourth meeting in Warsaw on 29 and 30 June, and we call on all other States and international organizations to join our collective efforts. We will continue to stand with Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes Ukraine to rightfully defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of aggression. The only path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine is one that is based on full respect for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The withdrawal of Russia’s troops is a key precondition for that.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“In fact, according to available statistics, including of Russian origin, Russian exports of grain and fertilizers have been consistently high in recent years, and its grain exports have actually reached record levels. In 2022, due to higher prices, Russia’s export revenues from fertilizers increased by an impressive 70 per cent to 150 per cent, depending on the source. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the export volume of Russian fertilizers in 2022 decreased by only 10 per cent. Russia must stop blackmailing the global community and allow the Black Sea Grain Initiative to operate at its maximum potential. Finally, our countries continue to argue for full accountability on the part of Russia’s political and military leadership for the crime of aggression.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“We hope for an objective and accurate assessment of the situation in Ukraine resulting from Russia’s full- scale invasion in the forthcoming annual reports of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence and children in armed conflict. I would like to express Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s appreciation for the active United Nations engagement in alleviating the global consequences of Russia’s aggression, including through the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russia continues to hinder the exports of Ukrainian goods from Ukrainian ports, thereby contributing to a significant increase in food prices in global markets. Russia has also continued to manipulate the facts and to repeatedly threaten to end the Black Sea Grain Initiative if its demands are not met.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania already provided €1.5 million of immediate assistance to Ukraine in order to alleviate the consequences of the dam’s destruction, and that does not include private initiatives. The costs of addressing the repercussions of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, a sovereign nation, are consistently increasing, while only 26 per cent of the total $3.9 billion required for the humanitarian response in Ukraine has been funded. We urge the international community to continue to provide the necessary funding. The work of the United Nations and its agencies to ensure the close monitoring and proper documentation of massive human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law should also continue.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“It is unacceptable that despite the repeated calls from the United Nations to the Russian Federation to provide safety guarantees for crossing the front line to the left bank of the Dnipro River and ensure humanitarian access to all civilians impacted by the destruction of the dam, such guarantees have not yet been provided. It is imperative that Russia take immediate action, in accordance with its obligations under international humanitarian law to allow the United Nations to provide the much-needed humanitarian aid to those affected by this devastating act, including in Oleshky. The Baltic State are among the top bilateral aid donors to Ukraine, as a percentage of our gross domestic products.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“According to the World Bank’s assessment — carried out in collaboration with the Ukrainian Government, the European Commission and the United Nations — the reconstruction needs for the damages caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine are estimated to be around $411 billion over the next decade. This staggering amount highlights the severity of the damages caused by the Russian aggression and the need for significant investment to rebuild the country. The calculations conducted so far, however, do not incorporate the detrimental impact of the Kakhovka dam’s destruction by Russia and its humanitarian, economic and ecological consequences.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“I deliver this statement on behalf of the Baltic States — Estonia, Latvia and my own country, Lithuania. I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing and the Emirati presidency for the opportunity to address the Council. Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, aided by Belarus, is ongoing for almost a year and a half now. Innocent people have been killed, injured and displaced from their homes. Families have been torn apart, and children have been orphaned. The physical and emotional scars of the war will be felt for generations to come. Schools, hospitals and other public facilities have been destroyed, leaving people without access to essential services.”
2023-06-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9357 (2023) · source
“A peace will be achieved when Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence are fully restored, enabling its people to thrive and prosper. We reiterate our support for President Zelenskyy’s efforts to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with the United Nations Charter, and we support the basic principles outlined in his peace initiative. We are committed to holding Putin’s criminal regime accountable for the war of aggression unleashed against Ukraine. We, the international community, must unite and commit ourselves to ensuring full accountability for the core international crimes in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine, including through the establishment of a special international tribunal for the prosecution of the crimes of aggression.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“The Baltic States are making significant efforts to support Ukraine, providing humanitarian, economic and military aid. Together with Poland, we are among the top four bilateral aid donors to Ukraine by percentage of gross domestic product. It is important to recall that all the support being provided to Ukraine is in addition to, rather than at the expense of, aid and development cooperation to other countries around the world. Russia must realize that it cannot win in Ukraine. Ultimately, it is Ukraine that will prevail. With unwavering support from the international community, Ukraine will continue to demonstrate its remarkable courage, determination and moral strength, as it fights to liberate its homeland.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“By attacking agricultural infrastructure and restricting maritime exports, Moscow seeks to instrumentalize the vulnerabilities of other countries. It is estimated that Ukrainian agricultural products feed 400 million people around the world. Despite the full-blown war on its territory, Ukraine remains one of the world’s top five agricultural exporters. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, the grain from Ukraine and the EU Solidarity Lanes have played an instrumental role in this by alleviating the global food crisis that has been severely exacerbated by Russia’s illegal war of aggression. If Russia were serious about countering food insecurity, it would stop its threats to unilaterally leave the Black Sea Grain Initiative and put an end to delaying the inspection of vessels.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“The recent arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia, Maria Lvova-Belova, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism mission of experts on the situation of Ukrainian children and the Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine are all concrete steps towards accountability and safeguarding international humanitarian law. We strongly condemn Russia’s attempts to intimidate the ICC and undermine international efforts to secure justice. On 8 May, Russian strikes destroyed the humanitarian aid stored in a 1,000-square-metre warehouse of the Ukrainian Red Cross for the Odesa region.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have published extensive reports indicating atrocities committed by Russia and its armed forces against civilians in Ukraine. Those acts have been classified as war crimes, crimes against humanity and gross violations of the Geneva Conventions. We highlight the large-scale attempts by Russia to abduct and transfer children from Ukraine. International humanitarian law must be upheld collectively with international organizations leading the way.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“The humanitarian consequences of Russia’s attacks on the civilian population have been devastating. Each additional day of aggression prolongs the toll of human suffering. Russia, responding to its military losses in Ukraine, is terrorizing the civilian population by conducting massive missile and unmanned aerial vehicle strikes at critical infrastructure and residential areas, including in Kyiv and Odesa. Those horrific attacks, which result in significant casualties and destruction, are designed to erode the will of ordinary Ukrainians to resist. However, launching attacks with the sole purpose of terrorizing civilians is a war crime.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“I am speaking on behalf of the Baltic States — Latvia, Estonia and my own country, Lithuania. We fully align ourselves with the statement of the European Union. I also thank Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths for his comprehensive briefing. We highly value the work of the United Nations in its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to people affected by Russia’s unprovoked and premeditated war against Ukraine, as well as in its close monitoring and documentation of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. We also appreciate its active engagement in numerous diplomatic efforts, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Over the past 15 months, Russia has inflicted immense suffering upon Ukraine and its people through its full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Today’s arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court represents a powerful first step in that direction and an international special tribunal should be created to prosecute the crime of aggression. Lastly, we should explore all legal means to ensure that Russian assets are used to compensate for all the material and moral damage caused by the aggression. The meeting rose at 6.50 p.m.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Until then, we stand with Ukraine as it exercises its inherent right to self-defence against Russia’s war of aggression, in accordance with international law, notably Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and we will continue doing so for so long as it takes. Russia must end the war by fully withdrawing its forces from all occupied territories in Ukraine. That is the most effective way to end the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. There must also be full accountability for the perpetrators. The International Criminal Court, regional bodies and individual States must prosecute those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide in Ukraine.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“The Baltic States, together with Poland, make up the top four donors of bilateral aid to Ukraine, based on percentage of gross domestic product. We are proud to have been among the first to provide military assistance, and we grant protection to nearly 200,000 Ukrainian refugees and provide humanitarian relief. Behind those efforts are private citizens and businesses — they have welcomed Ukrainians into their own homes and donated millions of euros to support Ukraine’s armed forces. We fully support President Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan and Ukraine’s efforts to secure a just and sustainable peace, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and General Assembly resolutions.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Russia’s war has also greatly exacerbated the global food security crisis. We support the Grain from Ukraine initiative and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, as well as European Union solidarity lanes, which help to reduce the global cost of food and provide food supplies to the most vulnerable populations. Russia must allow the unrestricted movement of grain from Ukraine’s ports and extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative beyond 18 March. The international community has provided much- needed aid, with United Nations agencies and local and international civil society organizations working tirelessly to ease the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Humanitarian aid must reach those in need safely and without impediments. Providing support for Ukraine is at the heart of our foreign policy.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“In that regard, we also welcome the arrest warrants issued today by the International Criminal Court for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crimes of the unlawful deportation of children and the unlawful transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia. Russia must return those children to their parents and guardians, provide registration lists of the children it has removed and allow independent observers to access facilities within Russian-controlled or occupied areas of Ukraine and in Russia. As Ukraine continues to defend itself against this aggression, it is important to remember what Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine means for the people: filtration operations, summary executions and torture, rape and other forms of sexual and gender- based violence.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“It is estimated that, since the outbreak of the war, Russia has deported thousands of children from the newly occupied Ukrainian territories. Credible reports have shown that this operation is centrally coordinated by Russia’s federal Government in an effort to erase Ukraine’s identity and future. The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine of the Human Rights Council, released on 15 March, concluded that “Russian authorities have committed unlawful transfers and deportations of civilians and of other protected persons within Ukraine or to the Russian Federation, respectively. This is a war crime.” This is a plain violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Eight million people have sought refuge in Europe and other countries. We have seen, day after day, cynical disregard by the Russian Federation of international humanitarian law. Russian missiles and drones destroy Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, kill and injure civilians, and damage roads, homes, schools, medical facilities, farmland and power systems. Attacks on energy infrastructure in the depths of winter caused an energy crisis, testing the entire country’s resilience and deepening the humanitarian crisis. According to the World Health Organization, a staggering number — 859 — of attacks on health-care facilities have been reported since 24 February 2022. The war has had a severe impact on children, with massive destruction of schools and displacement imposing immense challenges to the education system.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“I am speaking on behalf of the Baltic States — Latvia, Estonia and my own country, Lithuania. I also thank Under-Secretary- General Martin Griffiths for his briefing. For more than a year, Russia has pursued its war of aggression against Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have been killed and injured, millions forced from their homes and their jobs and livelihoods destroyed, with many left struggling to access food, water, health care, education and a safe place to live. The humanitarian toll of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine continues to mount. The situation in Ukraine remains a massive humanitarian crisis, with almost 18 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Nearly 6 million are internally displaced, forced to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Any solution to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine must ensure that Ukraine’s voice is heard and that its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders are respected. As the international community, we must continue to demand every single day that Russia stop this brutal aggression. Our position is clear: we will support Ukraine and defend the principles of the Charter of the United Nations as long as it is necessary. We are confident that Ukraine will prevail, as powerfully conveyed to us today by First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Ms. Emine Dzhaparova.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“In order to help the Ukrainian people to get through the winter, our Governments, civil society and private companies have already sent significant amounts of equipment to Ukraine, including power generators, power transformers and spare parts. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the European Union will continue to take the work forward on the options for using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and for the purposes of reparation, in line with international law. We must ensure that the principle of “the aggressor pays the damage” is fully implemented in practice. The Baltic States support all meaningful efforts to bring Russia’s war of aggression to an end. We welcome the 10-step peace formula proposed by the President of Ukraine, which we consider a sound basis for achieving peace in Ukraine.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“The Baltic States will continue to provide support to address the impact of Russia’s systemic and deliberate attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, in addition to other official assistance. Our countries are among the largest supporters of Ukraine per capita — together they have provided more than €1.3 billion in official assistance to Ukraine since February 2022, excluding private initiatives. We have assisted vulnerable communities in conflict-torn Eastern European regions for the past eight years and, since last February, have scaled up our assistance to meet the massive and urgent relief and protection needs of civilians across the Ukraine.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“We reiterate that Russia is solely responsible for those hardships given that it started the war of aggression, in blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its key principles. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia fully support Ukraine’s initiative on the establishment of the special tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggression against Ukraine. There must be no impunity for Russia’s crimes committed on Ukrainian soil. We commend the people of Ukraine for their admirable courage in defending their country, as well as the international legal order and the Charter. The international community must continue to do everything possible to help Ukraine to win the war and get through the winter, including by urgently providing specialized energy equipment and helping to repair destroyed energy infrastructure.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“We are fast approaching a morbid milestone: the one-year anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. As we speak, Russian troops continue systematic and massive attacks on civilians, engage in the deliberate destruction of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure and commit horrible war crimes in the country on a daily basis. That clearly demonstrates the brutality and desperation of Russia’s regime. If it is not stopped, Russia will continue to threaten the rules-based international order and pursue its imperialist and colonial ambitions to retain Ukraine in its sphere of influence. If Russia is not stopped, countries around the world will continue to experience the consequences of the war, including through acute food and energy insecurity.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“I deliver this statement on behalf of the Baltic States — Estonia, Latvia and my own country, Lithuania. I thank Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo for her briefing, and the Japanese presidency for the opportunity to address the Security Council. Today’s date is symbolic for us because, on 13 January in Lithuania, we commemorate Freedom Defenders Day. On that day in 1991, the Lithuanian people, myself included, stood unarmed against Soviet tanks in order to defend Lithuania’s independence and freedom. Each year, we the Baltic States commemorate all the victims who died in the fight for our independence from the Soviet empire and continue to stand with Ukraine today, defending not only its freedom but also our own.”
2023-01-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9243 (2023) · source
“We need to put a stop to abuse of veto power, in particular, in cases of mass atrocities, as well as when a permanent member is a party to a conflict. Lithuania remains a strong believer in the transformative power of collective action. We stand ready to continue working together and maintain our support and contributions towards more effective multilateralism based on the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“With this war, Russia not only cynically disregards its duties as a permanent membership and flagrantly violates the United Nations Charter, but also continues to block the Security Council, as a whole, from implementing its responsibilities. The Council’s failure to live up to its own decisions and to act swiftly and firmly in response to illegal programmes of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles also raises concerns among many Member States. The current structure of the Council must reflect today’s geopolitical realities. Its membership must include underrepresented regions, in particular Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Eastern European regional group in permanent and non-permanent categories. We need more transparency and accountability.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“Many today mentioned the need for new and reformed multilateralism and multilateral institutions that reflect the changed geopolitical realities, are more transparent, legitimate and effective. Lithuania maintains its long-standing position that we must work, collectively, on Security Council reform in order to make it reflect modern global challenges, and we must act upon them more effectively, without further delay. The unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine waged by Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, exposed clearly the structural and procedural weaknesses of this organ mandated to maintain international peace and security.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“That is also true with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and providing development assistance and humanitarian aid. Collective decisions and coordinated actions are key in addressing new and emerging challenges, including climate change, health emergencies, food insecurity and hybrid threats such as instrumentalized migration or information manipulation and disinformation. In that light, Lithuania strongly supports the Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), including the New Agenda for Peace, which aims at reinvigorating multilateralism and enhancing the Organization’s existing toolbox. We also welcome the ongoing work towards more effective and adept peacekeeping, which has been one of the concrete examples of successful collective action by the United Nations.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank India for convening this timely debate, as well as the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly for their briefings. We subscribe to the statement delivered by the delegation of the European Union (EU) on behalf of the EU and its member States earlier today. Meaningful multilateralism is the only credible answer to the multiple multifaceted and interconnected challenges of the contemporary world. It is also key to maintaining the integrity of the Charter of the United Nations — the backbone of the rules-based international order. Acting collectively, we are better equipped to work towards maintaining peace and security, preventing war and resolving conflicts, as well as promoting and protecting human rights.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220Resumption1 (2022) · source
“It is also necessary that the Council demand from the authorities of Belarus that they provide all critical information that was requested but not made available to the team of investigators. The results of this investigation could lead to the improvement of ICAO standards and recommended practices, procedures and guidance materials, as well as help fill gaps in the safety and security of international civil aviation. We kindly request that the Security Council remains seized of this issue.”
2022-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9175 (2022) · source
“In conclusion, various actions in the commission of these flagrant violations of the security of civil aviation that deliberately endangered the safety and security of the Ryanair flight and the lives of all those on board should be condemned internationally. The ICAO Council also recalled that the use of civil aviation in that manner contravenes the spirit of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, in particular its preamble and article 4. We therefore call on the Security Council to recognize the responsibility of Belarus for the breaches of international law. Belarus must be held accountable for those grave violations. All human rights violations committed by the Belarus authorities in the Ryanair flight incident must become the subject of scrutiny by the Human Rights Council.”
2022-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9175 (2022) · source
“The actions of the Belarus authorities were aimed at forcing Ryanair Flight FR-4978 to land in Minsk, and therefore, under false pretences, allowing Belarus security services to arrest the persons in question. By doing so, Belarusian authorities committed yet another human rights violation. Permit me to recall that Lithuania’s criminal investigative authority initiated an investigation regarding the commission of an offence of enforced disappearance — the hijacking of an aircraft for terrorist purposes under the relevant articles of the criminal code of the Republic of Lithuania. Lithuania duly informed the investigative team that requests for mutual legal assistance had been submitted to the other States connected to the incident. The investigations have been initiated and are ongoing in other States concerned.”
2022-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9175 (2022) · source
“Besides numerous other important findings and conclusions by the investigative team, it is also very important to underline that, following its consideration of the complete fact-finding results, the ICAO Council acknowledged that the bomb threat against Ryanair Flight FR-4978 was deliberately false and endangered its safety and, furthermore, that the threat was communicated to the flight crew upon the instructions of the senior Government officials of Belarus. It is therefore evident that the sole purpose of the actions of the Belarus authorities in this grave incident was to take into custody two members of the anti-Government opposition — Mr. Roman Protasevich and Ms. Sofia Sapega — who were passengers on the flight from Athens to Vilnius.”
2022-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9175 (2022) · source