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.