Linkevičius: We are proud that Lithuania’s representative will head a committee of the United Nations
Yesterday, the Professor at Vilnius University Dalia Leinartė was elected as President of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). For the first time in modern history of Lithuania’s multilateral diplomacy, the Lithuanian representative has assumed the charge of the post at such a high level of management in one of the institutions of the United Nations. On that occasion, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius held a telephone conversation to congratulate the Professor personally.
“This is a huge acknowledgement of your personal and professional success, and of Lithuania’s involvement in addressing the issue of women’s rights. This achievement also raises the bar for us, obliges Lithuania to strengthen its efforts to end violence against women, their discrimination and inequality that is still experienced in various ways,” said the Minister Linkevičius.
Leinartė has been a member of the CEDAW Committee since 2013. She has been the Vice-Chairperson of the CEDAW Committee for the last two years. Following a successful election campaign that was run by Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions abroad, last autumn Leinartė was re-elected to the CEDAW Committee for the term 2017-2020. The Professor won a majority of votes cast and will serve two years. Since the establishment of the CEDAW Committee in 1981, the Professor is only the second Eastern European representative elected as President of the CEDAW Committee.
