News

On 15-16 December, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Taurimas Valys visited the United Nations (UN), where he met with senior UN officials and participated in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 20th Anniversary Review Meeting.

At a meeting with Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Vice-Minister underlined the importance of joint efforts to respond to the systematic disruptions of GNSS/GPS signals conducted by Russia and Belarus, which endanger aviation safety, shipping, energy, and communication systems infrastructure. A review process of the ITU regional offices and the possibilities to restrict the operations of the Moscow office were also discussed.

In meetings with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder and the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill, the Vice-Minister discussed the UN80 initiative - a major reform process marking the UN's 80th anniversary and focusing on system-wide efficiency, and structural changes to make the UN more responsive to modern challenges. Valys emphasized that Lithuania is ready to contribute to the UN modernisation efforts, especially by promoting and supporting the use of innovative technologies throughout the UN system.

The Vice-Minister also met with the Representative of the United States of America to the UN for UN Management and Reform, Jeffrey Bartos, and expressed support for the U.S. leadership in achieving a more effective and transparent UN, and discussed joint initiatives to achieve this goal.

The Vice-Minister also spoke at the plenary session of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly, stressing that digital technologies must serve people and contribute to sustainable development. Valys also emphasized the importance of cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity has become crucial in the age of artificial intelligence. While AI opens up huge opportunities, it also poses significant risks. Lithuania stresses that AI governance must be human-centric and human rights-based, ensuring justice, transparency, and accountability," said the Vice-Minister at UN Headquarters.

WSIS is a global UN initiative to bridge the digital divide, promote sustainable development, ensure cybersecurity, and promote partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society. It was established at two summits (in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005) organised by the ITU. It should be noted that the Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the UN, Ambassador Rytis Paulauskas, together with Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ekitela Lokaale, co-facilitated the process of drafting the WSIS Modalities Resolution. In March of this year, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted this resolution, which defined the procedural aspects of organizing the WSIS 20th Anniversary Review High-Level Meeting.