Lithuania Saturday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for February.
Raimonda Murmokaite, Lithuanian permanent representative to the UN, took over the role from Jordanian representative Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zedi Al-Hussein, Xinhua reported.
The European country was elected by the General Assembly as a non-permanent member to the most powerful UN body for the 2014-2015 term.
During its presidency, Lithuania will focus on the protection of civilians in conflict situations and the rule of law.
The UN Security Council is composed of five permanent members -- China, the US, Britain, France, and Russia -- and 10 non-permanent members.
The presidency of the council rotates among countries on a monthly basis according to the English-language alphabetical order of the countries' names.