Latvia, 2011

At the outset, I wish to

congratulate Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his

assumption of the post of President of the General

Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. I assure him of the

fullest cooperation of the Latvian delegation. I also

congratulate the Secretary-General on his re-appointment

to his honourable post for a second term. I wish him the

greatest success and strength in guiding the Organization

and the Secretariat in all their complex tasks.

I warmly welcome the State of South Sudan as

the 193rd Member of the United Nations.

Latvia has always supported strengthening the

United Nations as the only truly universal international

organization. However, the United Nations must

change and adapt to the new realities in order to deliver

the best results and sustain its influence. The

revitalization of the General Assembly and the reform

of other principal organs are essential so that the

United Nations can keep pace with the modern realities

in the world and to make the whole of its work more

effective. That will allow consistent adherence to the

principles of sound budgetary discipline and a fair

distribution of expenses among the Member States.

In the context of the global economic slowdown,

we welcome the initiative of the Secretary-General to

cut the United Nations budget for 2012-2013 by 3 per

cent, and we look forward to a constructive discussion

on that matter.

The reform of the Security Council is long

overdue. We call on all partners to work sincerely on

this important issue. Latvia is ready to assume greater

international responsibility and is planning to engage

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more actively in the Council’s work by putting forward

its candidature for a non-permanent seat.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of

Latvia’s joining the United Nations, after regaining

independence. In those 20 years we have undergone a

complete transformation. From a Soviet-occupied

European country with no trace on the political map,

Latvia has re-emerged as a country with stable

democratic institutions and membership in the United

Nations, the European Union and NATO. From a

closed, regulated system we have developed an open,

liberal market economy. From a totalitarian regime we

have grown into a democratic society where the rule of

law and human rights are respected. Now we are able

to share our transformation experience by helping other

countries in their own development.

Important changes, often called the Arab Spring,

have started in North Africa and the Middle East.

People have gone to the streets demanding democratic

reforms and influence on the future development of

their countries. The international community has to

support those aspirations and assist in building stable

and trusted democratic institutions and establishing the

rule of law.

We welcome the timely reaction of the United

Nations to the events in Libya, such as the Security

Council’s decision to provide humanitarian and

security assistance and to refer the case to the

International Criminal Court. Latvia has recognized the

National Transitional Council of Libya and supported

the General Assembly decision to allow the Council to

represent Libya at this session. Joint action is crucial,

and we hope that the United Nations, in collaboration

with relevant regional actors, will continue to play a

leading role in Libya.

We support the Security Council presidential

statement regarding the events in Syria

(S/PRST/2011/16) and the Human Rights Council

decision to urgently dispatch a special mission to Syria

(A/HRC/RES/S-16/1). The message is clear: violations

of human rights and the use of force against civilians

are totally unacceptable and strongly condemned by

the international community. We look forward to an

appropriate follow-up on this issue in the Security

Council.

Today the international community has a historic

responsibility to make the Middle East a safer, more

prosperous and more democratic place to live. We must

support the Middle East peace process with the goal of

two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in

peace and security. Latvia strongly encourages both

sides to resume dialogue without delay. Sustainable

peace is possible only if the Israelis and the

Palestinians reach an agreement that takes into account

the legitimate interests of both sides. The international

community — the United Nations, the Quartet, the

Arab League and others — should act together to help

both sides to return to the negotiation table.

Turning to sustainable development, I would like

to stress that we have a responsibility to future

generations for the preservation of the natural

environment in the world. That responsibility includes

an obligation to ensure that the resources available to

us now are used in the most appropriate ways.

In order to address the challenges posed by

climate change, joint global action is needed with

regard to emissions reduction and global warming.

Later this year, the next United Nations Climate

Change Conference, in Durban, will take important

decisions. Any proposed agreement on climate change

action should be a reasonable compromise that is

acceptable for the majority of participating Parties and

does not exclude any of the major economies.

In order to achieve sustainable development,

protecting the environment and preserving a healthy

society are most important. However, in the twenty-

first century we face a new challenge: non-communicable

diseases. We commend the High-level Meeting on the

Prevention and Control of Non-communicable

Diseases and the adoption of the Political Declaration

(resolution 66/2, annex). We hope that we will have an

effective follow-up process.

The economic crisis has reminded us that we live

in an interdependent world. We are deeply worried by

the level of uncertainty and volatility in international

trade and financial markets. The primary responsibility

for prudent governance is at a national level. However,

in the current situation the international community

must once again act together and find sustainable

stabilization measures in order to prevent another

downturn in the global economy.

My country, Latvia, was one of those hit first and

hard by the crisis but now is among the countries that

are steadily recovering. Our gross domestic product is

growing again and unemployment is falling. The

recovery of the Latvian economy can teach us several

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simple lessons. First is the importance of acting

quickly and decisively in adopting austerity measures.

Secondly, in order to carry out structural reforms, there

is a strong need to communicate and to engage with

society. The third and final lesson, of course, is the

value of international solidarity.

We face a large number of transnational threats,

including terrorism. This year, we commemorate the

tenth anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks of

11 September 2001. We express our solidarity and

sympathy with the victims of 9/11 and others who have

been affected by terrorism all over the world.

As we combat terrorism, we must also analyse its

root causes. Our aim in Afghanistan is to help to

stabilize the security situation and to build local

democratic institutions. That will empower the Afghan

Government to take over responsibility for security

throughout the country by 2014. A sustainable solution

in Afghanistan can be found only if regional actors,

including the Central Asian countries, are part of the

process. Joint action is needed to unlock economic

opportunities, to strengthen regional security

cooperation and to develop infrastructure and transport

corridors in order to connect Afghanistan with the

region and the rest of the world.

In addition to the role of the United Nations in

maintaining international peace and security, the

importance of regional organizations is increasing. In

that context, we draw attention to the protracted

conflicts in Europe in Transdniestria, Abkhazia, South

Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Regional

organizations — in this case, the EU and the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe — must continue working to seek peaceful

solutions. Good cooperation with the United Nations is

crucial.

In that regard, let me emphasize the principled

and consistent position of Latvia and the EU in

supporting the peaceful settlement of conflicts and

values such as democracy, the rule of law and the

protection of human rights. Those lie at the core of the

EU foreign policy strategy.

This year, we carried out the review process of

the functioning of the main United Nations human

rights body — the Human Rights Council. Latvia saw

that review process as a unique opportunity to improve

the performance and credibility of that important body.

We took note of the outcome of the review process

(resolution 65/281, annex). However, we believe that

much more could have been done to enable the Council

to live up to the expectations of countries and people.

Latvia believes that members of the Human

Rights Council must lead by example through full

commitment to the promotion and protection of human

rights. Latvia attaches the greatest importance to that

commitment by putting forward its candidacy for the

Human Rights Council elections in the year 2014.

Challenges to global security, development and

human rights can be overcome only by our joint

efforts. Latvia looks forward to a fruitful sixty-sixth

session of the General Assembly.