Dalius Cekuolis

Dalius Cekuolis, "Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations, presented his credentials to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 2nd March 2006.

"In March 2006, Mr. Cekuolis was nominated by Eastern European Group as a Vice-chair of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. He was elected as the President of ECOSOC on 17 January 2007, to serve for a one-year term.

"Ambassador Cekuolis began his diplomatic career for the Republic of Lithuania in 1990, as Head of the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1992 to 1994 Mr. Cekuolis served as Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Denmark, Norway and Iceland.

"From 1994 to 1998 Mr. Cekuolis also served as Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and, concurrently, as the Lithuanian representative to the Western European Union and to the North Atlantic Cooperation Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"Ambassador Cekuolis was Head of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, in charge of the Presidency of the Republic of Lithuania of that body from 1998 to 1999. He served as his country's Ambassador to Portugal from 1999 to 2004, after which he was appointed Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, in charge of security policy.

"Mr. Cekuolis graduated from the institute of International relations in Moscow, in 1982. In addition to Lithuanian, Mr. Cekuolis speaks English, Spanish, French, Russian and Portuguese.

"Mr. Cekuolis was born on 29 March 1959 in Vilnius, Lithuania. He is married to Mrs. Jurate Cekuoliene and they have one daughter."

• Advisory Board, United Nations Fund for International Partnerships