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Latvia
H.E. Mr. Valdis Zatlers, President

24 September, 2010

Statement Summary

VALDIS ZATLERS, President of Latvia, recalling the United Nations creation from the ashes of the bloodiest war in history, said it had grown into the most broadly represented body of nations focused on promoting security, peace and prosperity. This year also marked Latvia’s twentieth anniversary of freedom after 50 years of Soviet occupation, a story that showed that the values enshrined in the Charter were universal and, with persistence, came alive, even if decades demanded it.

Many global issues required urgent action, he said, noting that work to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 had not been sufficient. A new consciousness was emerging from awareness of the negative impacts of climate change, and the response to a rising number of natural disasters must be twofold: adapting to future changes and taking preventive measures through reducing emissions. Every country had to contribute, and within the framework of the Copenhagen Accord, Latvia was providing assistance to help developing nations fight climate change. It also had pledged an additional €150,000 for Haiti’s recovery and would continue to help countries affected by tragedy.

As for strengthening the United Nations, a cause Latvia had always supported, he said in times of globalization and rapid development, reform was an inevitable reality, and he urged maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations work. Commending its work on women’s empowerment, he said the tenth anniversary this fall of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) would provide an opportunity to review the document’s implementation, with the aim of identifying best practices and challenges.

He said the Human Rights Council had shown its ability to advance human rights, notably through the independent work of the Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review. Improvements were needed, however, but he was confident that the process would lead to a strengthened institution with increased credibility. Turning to peace and security, he praised the positive momentum created at the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, expressing hope that every diplomatic opportunity would be used to find a long-term solution to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues. He also supported the nuclear security discussion initiated by the United States, saying that promising signs on the global agenda had positively influenced Europe’s security and fostered the debate on its conventional regime.

In other regions, he said efforts in the Middle East by the diplomatic Quartet and the unity of the Arab States would be decisive in ensuring a continued peace process. Welcoming the launch of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, he urged that they be supplemented by others on the Israel-Syria and Israel-Lebanon tracks. In Afghanistan, he commended the work of the Independent Election Commission, and said it was of the highest importance that the Afghan Government corrected irregularities caused by the harsh security and political climate. Central Asian stability was another key factor to success. Latvia was placing more emphasis on training Afghan security forces and, in June, had trained Afghan police officers in criminal investigation.

Deeming the European Union an important partner in the United Nations, he recalled that the bloc had changed through the Lisbon Treaty, and he expressed hope that agreement would soon be reached to ensure its participation in the Assembly. In the aftermath of the economic slowdown, Latvia was showing signs of recovery. “We are on the way up,” he said, noting that global financial governance would be essential to avert another crisis. He highly valued initiatives put forward in that regard by the Group of 20 (G-20), among other forums.

Source: GA10999