UN General Assembly
1994

range of issues we are asked to discuss within the United Nations has also increased, imposing new responsibilities and new demands on the Organization. It is very important that the international community be properly represented in the Security Council. Lithuania therefore supports proposals to expand the membership of the Council, creating new permanent as well as non-permanent seats. One of the principle guarantees of international stability is respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms and their development and defence. It was, of course, within the framework of the United Nations that the first landmark international human rights documents were adopted. We believe the establishment of the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights to be a timely decision. The High Commissioner must become the overall coordinator of United Nations activities in the field of human rights. The world clearly needs an institution that can rapidly and effectively report human rights violations, particularly those which pose a danger of escalating into prolonged conflict. Such reporting would enhance the policy of preventive diplomacy. Lithuania continues along the difficult road of reform,