Due to Lithuania's efforts a discussion on the situation in Crimea and Ukraine has been included into the agenda of the Security Council. Since February, Lithuania has initiated 8 meetings of the Security Council to discuss the situation in Ukraine; since then this issue has been discussed 26 times. Lithuania also regularly raises the issues around human rights violations in the Russia-annexed Crimea; in April, Lithuania organised an informal discussion of members of the Security Council with the leader of the Crimean Tatars and a Crimean journalist; a round table discussion with representatives of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations took place in December.
In the Security Council, Lithuania continuously raises the issues of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, illegal arms trade, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual violence, the protection of women and children in armed conflict. In December, Lithuania together with other members of the Security Council, initiated a discussion on North Korea's human rights situation in the Security Council.
In February, Lithuania has initiated a document, adopted by the Security Council for the first time that consolidates the status of the European Union as a strategic partner of the United Nations. This step strengthens the cooperation between the two organizations in mediation, crisis management, humanitarian sphere and the rule of law. Lithuania has also headed negotiations on the document of the Security Council to promote rule of law and the resolution on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Lithuania, as the Chair of the Sanctions Committees for the Central African Republic and Yemen, has actively contributed to the improvement of the effectiveness of implementation of the Security Council's sanctions and to the promotion of cooperation between various Sanctions Committees. In order to ensure transparency of the activities of the Sanctions Committees, Lithuania has organised public briefings of the Committees' activities and invited the countries of the region to participate in the meetings of the Committee. During its Chairmanship of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Lithuania has mainly focused on response to threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters, violent extremism, kidnapping for ransom and other rising threats.
In 2015, during the second year of Lithuania's membership, the Security Council will be facing challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. Lithuania will continue to focus on strengthening of the rule of law and human rights, safety of journalists, combating the illicit trade in arms, and conflict prevention. In May 2015, Lithuania will chair the Security Council for the second time.
Lithuania was elected a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the two year term of 2014-2015. In 2015, the Security Council will be composed of the following members: Angola, Chad, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Jordan, U.S.A., China, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, Venezuela, and France.
