Permanent Delegate

Permanent Delegate

Jolanta Balčiūnienė | Permanent Delegate of Lithuania to UNESCO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Education:

09-13 May 2016 NATO Defense College (Rome). Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors’ Course (GFOAC) 2016/1

1999 Adam Smith Institute, London. Co-ordinated Reform Agenda Management training course

1993–1994 National School of Administration (École nationale d'administration, ÉNA), Promotion Rene Char

1990–1991 International Institute for Public Administration (Institut international d`administration publique), International Relations, (France)

1982–1988 Vilnius University, Faculty of Philology, French Language and Literature

Work experience:

As of 6 September 2021  - Permanent Delegate of Lithuania to UNESCO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

2017 – 2021 Director of the European Countries Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

2014–2017 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Italy, for the Republic of Malta, the Republic of San Marino, Libya, Permanent Representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization

2009–2014 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of France, for the Kingdom of Morocco, the Principality of Monaco and the Republic of Tunisia

2008 Deputy Head of Eastern Partnership Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

2007–2008 plenipotentiary minister at the Lithuanian Permanent Representation to the European Union

2005–2007 Head of Central Asia and South Caucasus countries section of East and Central Asia Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

2002–2005 Counsellor at the Lithuanian Embassy in France

2000–2002 Advisor at the first Bilateral Relations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

1996–2000 Advisor to the Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

1995–1996 Assistant to the Chair of the Managing Board of the ‘Hermis’ Bank, Head of the Training Department. Coordinator of a technical assistance project with the EBRD and DeNorske bank

1995 Senior specialist at the Policy and Analysis Department at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania

1992–1993 Consultant at the Economic Expansion Department at the Embassy of the Republic of France in Lithuania

1991–1992 Consultant to the Speaker of the Reconstituent Seimas (Parliament) of Lithuania

1989–1990 Translator

Other:

State Awards: Chevalier Order of the French Honorary Legion (1997), Commander Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (1998), Officier Order of the French Honorary Legion (2001), Order for Merits to Lithuania (2003), Lithuanian Diplomacy Star of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania (2012), Commander’s Cross Order for Merits to Lithuania (2014), Officer’s Cross of the French National Order of Merit (2014), Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2019).

Languages:

Lithuanian (native), French, Russian, English, Italian.

Family:

Married, two sons.

Interests:

History, applied arts, reading.