Taking part in the event will be UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, other public figures, representatives of international organizations and civil societies from 38 countries.

Discussions at the event in Chile will focus on how the role of women in politics has changed since 1995 when the Beijing Declaration on equality, development and peace was adopted. It was the first global document which laid down concrete strategies and obligations for the governments around the world to ensure equal opportunities for men and women in all spheres of public life.

Lithuania is one of the eleven countries in the world with female presidents. Our head of state will deliver the keynote address on the role of women in high-level decision making and will discuss Lithuania's experience in ensuring equal rights for men and women.

Lithuania is leading in the number of female public servants, with even one-third of them holding top administrative positions. We rank fifth in the EU in terms of women's education. 49 percent of Lithuanian scientists are women, but the majority of executive positions in this sphere are held by men. We are among the EU's three member states with the highest number of female entrepreneurs, yet women hold managing positions in only 4 percent of major businesses and represent only 16 percent of board members of those companies. In Lithuania, women are paid 13 percent less than men for the same job.

During her working visit, President Grybauskaitė will also meet with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to discuss bilateral relations, the strengthening of trade links, cooperation within the United Nations and other international organizations. Chile's support is important for Lithuania in seeking membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

In Chile, the Lithuanian head of state will hold a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. The meeting will focus on security situation in Ukraine, the region, and the Baltic States, the human rights situation in Crimea and other terrorist-occupied territories of Ukraine, women rights and gender equality issues.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė has been chair of the Council of Women World Leaders since September 2014. The Council's mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women. Among the members of the Council are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, and other women leaders.

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