The Forum's agenda was revised due to the Paris terror attacks, with primary focus placed on the security situation in the world and on joint steps of the international community to fight terrorism. The leaders, gathered in the Forum, observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the 13 November terror attacks.
According to the President, the Paris attacks are crimes against all peaceful people in the world. Therefore, all UN organizations must work to bring the international community together to fight terrorism.
"The last 70 years have brought higher standards of living to millions of people and strengthened cooperation among nations in the world. However, today, in the face of violence and barbaric terrorism, which were previously unimaginable, we see that progress can be reversed. We can build a more peaceful and secure world by promoting solidarity among people, strengthening freedom of expression and resilience to ideologies of hatred as well as by preserving our common heritage," the President said.
In Paris, Lithuania has been elected as member of UNESCO's main management body –the Executive Board – for a third period. 171 out of 195 countries have voted in favor of our country. According to the President, this is an acknowledgment of Lithuania's efforts, obliging us to further contribute to UNESCO's mission – to strengthen peace and security in the world as well as concord among people through science, culture, education, and the protection of freedom of speech.
The President pointed out that free speech and the ability of journalists to do their job safely were necessary to prevent the spread of radical ideologies and terrorist propaganda. Attacks on journalists in Paris at the beginning of this year and the persecution of journalists in the occupied Crimea and the Middle East undermine fundamental human rights and sow hatred and fear.
Therefore, Dalia Grybauskaitė called on world leaders to protect journalists from violence and crackdown. This year alone, 58 journalists have been killed and almost 150 imprisoned across the world while performing their duties.
Lithuania contributes in a significant way to protecting journalists all over the world. On the initiative of our country, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution urging countries to protect journalists from violence in armed conflicts and ensure effective investigation of crimes against journalists.
One of UNESCO's main objectives is to preserve historical and cultural heritage around the world for future generations. By destroying invaluable historical landmarks in Syria and Iraq, so-called Islamic State terrorists have already done the biggest damage to heritage since the Second World War. Therefore, in Paris, the President emphasized that it was necessary to further step up the efforts of the international community to strengthen the protection of the common heritage of mankind in all the countries of the world.
The President also focused on the necessity to expand access to education around the world because the ideology of terrorism flourishes where education is replaced by extremism and hatred. Dalia Grybauskaitė called on UNESCO countries to ensure quality education that is accessible to everyone and make at least nine years of education compulsory.
Despite progress in education and science, school remains an unfulfilled dream for about 58 million children all over the world due to war and poverty.