Latvia, 2000

Finding ourselves in a new

century and in a new millennium, it is natural to review

what we have done right and to meditate also on what

we could have done better. The United Nations is the

forum and the system that allows us to contemplate the

status of the world's development from the widest

possible perspective.

Latvia is small, but the success of our democracy

and the success of our efforts at European integration

will have a strong positive effect on the destiny of the

Baltic Sea region. The success of an Organization like

the United Nations can be measured by how its work

has affected the lives of individual people in all

countries. In the age of globalization the challenge we

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collectively face is to ensure that all can be

beneficiaries.

As a result of the revolution in information

technology, the world has grown smaller. Nations and

people are closer to each other than ever before. This

underlines the importance of the principle of

universality. Today the decisions taken in one part of

the globe affect people and nations all around the

world. This calls for wider representation and, in the

case of the United Nations, for the reform of the

Security Council, which needs to be carried out to

reflect the present political and economic realities.

To respond to modern challenges, the United

Nations needs both political will and courage. In this

regard, I would like to express my appreciation to the

Secretary-General for his efforts in strengthening and

modernizing the Organization through its reforms.

The United Nations also needs to be better

equipped to prevent and manage conflicts.

Unfortunately, the demand for peacekeeping is still

high. The Member States, both individually and

collectively, must do more to meet this demand. Latvia

has done its best to make its practical contribution to

peace and security. During the past year Latvia's

peacekeepers have been present in Bosnia and

Herzegovina and Kosovo as a part of North Atlantic

Treaty Organization-led forces. In accordance with the

United Nations decision to extend the mandate for the

operation in Kosovo, Latvia will continue its

participation and will allocate more resources for

peacekeeping operations in next year's budget.

As a future member of the European Union,

Latvia attaches great importance to the development of

a common European security and defence policy that

will increase the European capabilities in conflict

prevention and crisis management. We are willing to

contribute our forces and to participate in European

Union operations.

To provide the United Nations with proper tools

for peacekeeping, the reforms of the scale of

contributions must be implemented to reflect the

capabilities and responsibilities of every Member State.

At the same time, the United Nations must ensure that

the resources are spent wisely and operations managed

properly. For its part, Latvia is considering a review of

its contribution to the peacekeeping budget with a view

to gradually increasing its share.

Human rights must remain high on the agenda of

the United Nations in the twenty-first century. As a

member of the Commission on Human Rights and its

Bureau, Latvia remains strongly committed to the

strengthening of the United Nations human rights

mechanisms. In particular, the role of the Office of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

and its programmes, including the development of

national capacities for the promotion and protection of

human rights, should be strengthened.

Latvia remains committed to the establishment of

the International Criminal Court. We welcome the

efforts of its Preparatory Commission in tackling the

task of finalizing the texts of the rules of procedure and

evidence, and the elements of crime, in a timely

manner. Those who commit crimes against humanity

must not go unpunished.

Fifty years of foreign occupation left us with a

heavy social, economic and psychological burden.

From the time of our return to independence in 1991,

Latvia has made every effort to overcome this legacy.

To be successful in the new millennium, we need the

consolidated input of all our people, regardless of their

occupation, ethnicity or place of residence. That is why

the Latvian Government has elaborated its programme

of integration of society. This is an experiment and in

many ways unique. The integration programme is our

vision of how our society can function most effectively

on the basis of democracy and respect for human

rights.

This programme complements the integration

measures being implemented through education with

the help of the United Nations Development

Programme. The programme will increase public

participation and it will reduce differences among the

various regions of Latvia. It is a sign of Latvia's

readiness to explore new ways of improving the living

standards and the social climate.

Latvia's international role has grown in the past

decade of freedom. Each year we are able to do more

for the people of Latvia and the international

community. With the beginning earlier this year of

talks for European Union membership, Latvia entered a

new phase in its international relations. This November

Latvia will assume the presidency of the Council of

Europe our first presidency in a pan-European

organization.

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Latvia is determined to participate even more

actively in the work of the United Nations. Therefore

Latvia has put forward its candidacy to be a non-

permanent member of the Security Council for the

period of 2006 to 2007. I believe Latvia is ready to

assume this high responsibility.

It is an honour to present Latvia's perspective

here today at the outset of the fifty-fifth session of the

General Assembly. I wish all of us a very useful and

productive session.