News

On 3 May, the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the International Organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Aurimas Taurantas presented his letters of credence to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov.

The meeting discussed the role of the United Nations in addressing global challenges, implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, projects in the fields of crime prevention, justice, the fight against trafficking in human beings, illegal transport of immigrants, border protection and other projects that were being implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Fedotov presented cooperation projects of the UNODC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The interlocutors also discussed the European Union’s role and contribution to the implementation of the UNODC projects and programs. Fedotov expressed his gladness that the UNODC was being funded with contributions of its largest donor – the European Union. The Executive Director also expressed hope that Lithuania would contribute to achieving the organization’s major goals through voluntary financial contributions.

The meeting also discussed Lithuania’s role in implementing the objectives of the UNODC. The Ambassador informed about Lithuania’s help in organizing special side events of the sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs that take place each year in March. During the sixtieth session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Government of Lithuania together with partners organized the side event “Civil Society and International Drug Policy in the Context of Agenda 2030”.

Established in 1997, the UNODC aims to enable the organization to focus on and enhance its capacity to address the issues of drug control and crime prevention.