YouSaid · the spoken record

Vaira Vike-Freiberga

lines on the record: 78
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2006-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Because of my own personal experience as a child of war and a refugee, having known fear, cold, loss and hunger in my time, I urge world leaders to save every child that we can from such experiences. Our common goal is to extend worldwide the peace, freedom and prosperity that so many nations have already achieved. It can be done; it must be done. But it is something that we can achieve only by all of us working together.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“While I deeply respect the candidates who have already been nominated from one part of the world, the selection procedure should not restrict the rights and opportunities of potential candidates from any other part of the world. I hope that the choice made by the Security Council and the General Assembly will be based solely on the candidate’s qualifications, personal qualities and vision. The world needs a strong United Nations, and we as leaders need to build bridges of understanding if we are to make the United Nations as strong as it needs to be. We need to keep alive the main goal of the founders of the United Nations, who were determined “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. We owe it to our children, who will inherit this planet, to save them also from the scourges of terrorism, of hunger and of disease.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I am personally committed to addressing the challenges posed by United Nations reform and to promoting human rights, freedom and democracy, including gender equality. While women represent half of the world’s population, no woman has ever been at the helm of this Organization. I believe that the time has come for a woman to be considered a serious candidate for the position of Secretary-General. It so happens that, as a result of historical events in the twentieth century, no Secretary-General has ever come from Eastern Europe. Yet that region has a wealth of experience to share about its ability to effect radical change and achieve progress in a remarkably brief period of time. Nevertheless, the principle of regional rotation should not be the principal or sole factor in the selection of a candidate.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“A Secretary-General must be endowed with leadership, vision, fairness and objectivity. He or she must be a true citizen of the world who can feel the pulse of humanity. He or she must have the passion and commitment to spare no effort in facing up to the most demanding of challenges. Today, the United Nations is at a crossroads and faces a choice: to address the challenges of the twenty- first century through the combined efforts of all its Member States, or to gradually lose its influence in the international community. As many here are aware, I recently announced my decision to submit my candidacy for the position of Secretary-General. I highly appreciate the confidence placed in me by the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, when he appointed me Special Envoy on United Nations Reform.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“This session will be the last under the stewardship of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. During his mandate, Mr. Annan has exhibited outstanding leadership in setting the agenda and establishing a clear vision of the goals of the United Nations. I therefore take this opportunity to thank him for his tireless dedication to the United Nations and for framing and initiating the much-needed reform process. His successor will inherit a vast and complex agenda which can only be tackled with maximum cooperation and flexibility from all Member States. The United Nations requires a Secretary-General who will be willing to listen to and to respect the views of all, but who will also have the personal courage to push for the necessary, but possibly unpopular, decisions that are needed for the good of the Organization as a whole.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“While this matter should not overshadow the rest of the reform process, neither can it be indefinitely 06-52737 26 postponed. Progress on this issue needs to be made, for it would invigorate and give added impetus to the overall reform process. The Security Council has a central role to play in maintaining international peace and security. If it is to function as a truly effective organ, then it must attain both a stronger capacity and a greater willingness to act in the face of international crises and tensions and it must find ways of responding more rapidly at the outbreak of armed conflicts. At this sixty-first session of the General Assembly, we must make every effort to make progress in adjusting the United Nations to the needs and challenges of our times.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I welcome the regular meetings among the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council with the aim of achieving maximum complementarity among those principal organs. The Charter of the United Nations provides us with the fundamental guidelines for our work, and we should be guided by it in a spirit of cooperation, not rivalry. It is self-defeating, unproductive and wasteful to invest time and effort in a competition among the main bodies of the United Nations. Only by rising above such internal divisions can the United Nations hope to truly fulfil the leading role that it has to play in order to serve the needs of the world community as a whole. We must also not neglect the reform of the Security Council, which needs to be more representative of the state of the world in 2006.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Mandate review is another essential element of the reform process where our aspirations have been higher than the result achieved. Only a fraction of the numerous mandates have been classified and the question of what to do with them is still pending. We need to move ahead energetically, bearing in mind that this is not a blind cost-cutting exercise but an ongoing process of feedback needed to improve the effectiveness and quality of the Organization’s work. Rational use of resources and cost-efficiency will allow us to do more with the resources at the command of the United Nations, without any duplication of effort. There has been a growing feeling among United Nations Member States of the need for a revitalized and more effective General Assembly.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Nevertheless, despite the painstakingly slow pace of United Nations reform to date, there has been some notable progress during the past year. It is vital for the United Nations to continue striving for more trust and goodwill among all our nations, for we simply cannot afford to do otherwise. There is general agreement that the time has come for a serious overhaul of the United Nations management system. An effective Secretariat is crucial for the United Nations system’s ability to adapt to evolving challenges. So far, only the initial steps have been taken in transforming the United Nations into a more efficient and accountable Organization. The time has come for meaningful changes, and I hope that we will establish tangible results during this sixty-first session.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“It is possible to arrive at solutions that constitute a win-win situation for everybody. It takes hard work and a lot of patience, but it can be done. It is natural for different countries to have different priorities and different threat perceptions. That is a fact of life. It is precisely for that reason that we need the United Nations as a central meeting place where our common interests can be determined and our common plans hammered out in an inclusive and democratic manner. The ongoing reforms of the United Nations are needed for the benefit and advantage of us all, without exception. The international agreements that are reached within the United Nations bear a unique legitimacy, moral weight and political authority. Yet it is no secret that in an Organization with nearly 200 Members, the decision-making process can be protracted.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The Council needs to provide real leadership to restore trust in the United Nations as a guardian, defender and promoter of that universal value. However, the effectiveness of the Human Rights Council depends entirely on the political will and conduct of the Member States. We must work together to ensure that this new institution, in which we have placed such high hopes, truly serves the purpose for which it was created. During this session, we will face the difficult task of furthering the reform of the United Nations. We have to accept the fact that none of the United Nations Member States will be able to attain absolutely everything they desire from the reform process. At no point should any Members think of negotiations for these necessary reforms as a zero-sum game in which some will be losers and some winners.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Currently, the United Nations is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in peacebuilding. We 25 06-52737 expect the recently established Peacebuilding Commission to help those countries that are emerging from conflict not to be drawn back into it, and hope that the Commission will serve to promote the post- conflict reconstruction and long-term development of regions that have suffered from warfare. Along with the promotion of peace and security and the alleviation of poverty, the protection of human rights is one of the main missions of the United Nations. The recent creation of the Human Rights Council will hopefully enable the United Nations to respond more promptly and effectively in situations where human rights come under threat.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The demand for rapid action cannot be met through United Nations mechanisms alone, but requires a more effective partnership between the United Nations and regional organizations. The most recent example of the need for a concerted peacekeeping effort is the tragic sequence of events in Israel and Lebanon this past summer. Peacekeeping can facilitate solutions, but not impose them. In Iraq and in Afghanistan, as well as in the continuing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, there will be no durable peace until all parties renounce the use of violence to achieve political aims. A long-lasting settlement requires the political will of all parties in the region to negotiate a viable compromise in good faith, where a secure State of Israel coexists side by side with an independent State of Palestine.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“That is a fundamental issue for global peace and security and I encourage all United Nations Member States to demonstrate their willingness to move forward at a faster pace. The United Nations also needs to provide a prompt and effective response when armed conflicts arise. We must strive to make United Nations peacekeeping a more effective and accepted instrument of collective security. Too often in the past, the United Nations has been unable to prevent genocide and lasting bloodshed — in the Congo, in Rwanda, in the former Yugoslavia and now in the Darfur region of the Sudan. During the past 10 years, the operational activity of the United Nations in peacekeeping has quadrupled, but that may still not be enough.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The dramatic increase of illegal migration in recent years has placed great stress on the international system for protecting refugees and asylum-seekers. The activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on migration issues should be coordinated with regional cooperation efforts in order to become more effective. We have had the great misfortune to see terrorism continue as a threat to international peace and security. I welcome, therefore, the recent agreement on a Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and urge the United Nations Member States to intensify their efforts to reach a consensus on a comprehensive anti-terrorism convention. We have failed to make any substantial progress over the past year in the area of disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The statistics on infant mortality and maternal health, among others, remain particularly distressing. Millions of our fellow human beings have no access to clean drinking water, let alone more sophisticated comforts. We cannot remain indifferent when so much needs to be done. In many parts of the world, the misery brought on by poverty is compounded by such debilitating and mortal diseases as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. While much has already been achieved to control the spread of those afflictions, further partnerships need to be developed with other stakeholders, including those in the private sector. Only a few days ago, the States Members of the United Nations concluded a High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“It is worth emphasizing that the United Nations has been an effective instrument in those countries where the political will has existed to cooperate fully with the United Nations programmes and proposals for alleviating the plight of the poor. At the same time, the efficiency of United Nations operations has also been called into question, and not without reason. More innovative approaches need to be deployed for alleviating poverty and reaching set development objectives. Among those, we should look more to the effective use of information, communication and modern technologies. I well remember the excitement at the Millennium Summit in 2000, when we adopted the Millennium Declaration. Progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals, alas, is still unacceptably slow.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We need to pursue our campaign against well-known scourges that include 06-52737 24 contagious disease and the destruction of the global environment. (spoke in English) We can take satisfaction in noting that a number of serious and meaningful measures have already been taken to alleviate the plight of the world’s poor. Those important steps must be followed up by continued measures to help the world’s poorest nations become more self-sufficient. At the same time, the developing countries must do their utmost to implement the practices of good governance, strengthen their institutions and abide by the rule of law.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“A year ago, we marked the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations by setting out a far-reaching reform plan to bring the Organization closer to the needs of the twenty-first century. While the United Nations spectrum of peacekeeping, humanitarian and human rights operations has increased significantly in recent years, the United Nations must continue to step up its activities if it is to meet the urgent needs of millions of people throughout the world. The current situation presents us with great challenges at the global level that require us to act with urgency and coordination. We will be able to attain the Millennium Development Goals and reduce the crushing poverty that is debilitating the lives of billions of people across this planet only if we pool our resources and redouble our efforts.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“I would like to begin by congratulating the Republic of Montenegro on its recent accession to the United Nations Organization. We fully understand the challenges that country faces and wish it every success in the establishment of a secure and prosperous State. I wish to express our highest appreciation to the President of the General Assembly at its sixtieth session, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for his enthusiastic dedication and skilful leadership during the past year. We now sincerely look forward to working with the President of the General Assembly at this session, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, and I pledge her Latvia’s full support. I also congratulate her on being only the third woman ever to preside over the General Assembly.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The more we strive to enshrine such values as tolerance, compassion and mutual respect, the more human and the more humane our societies will become.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Latvia has been actively involved in the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and considers it an honor to chair the Preparatory Committee of the second phase of the Summit, which will take place in Tunis in November 2005. The WSIS process should be an integral part of the international community’s efforts to eradicate poverty as outlined in the Millennium Development Goals, which will be reviewed periodically until 2015. Although the delegations here today come from many different backgrounds, practice different faiths and speak different languages, all of us in this room share the same desire to make our world a better, cleaner, more peaceful and more prosperous place to live in. We share a world view on what it means to be a human and on the inherent value of each human life.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Latviaís priority areas for development cooperation centre around the promotion of democratic and civil societies, economic development, environmental protection and other issues in the countries neighbouring the European Union, particularly Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, to name some of the countries to which Latvia has already provided bilateral technical assistance. Latvia is eager to reduce the divides between the developed and the developing world. The industrial society into which we were born has been characterized by the heavy machinery and tools that have marked human progress over the last two centuries. Now this society is evolving into an information and knowledge society, with innovation as an important engine of growth.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Having regained its independence only 13 years ago, Latvia is gradually completing the transition from a receiving to a donor country. We are grateful for the valuable assistance that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has provided to our country since 1993, and we are pleased that UNDP has extended its mandate until the end of 2005. Although the amount that Latvia is contributing to worldwide development assistance is not very large at the moment, we are committed to allocating no less than one third of 1 per cent of our gross national product to development assistance by 2006, as required of all the European Union's member States.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Overlapping mandates and the duplication of efforts continue to reduce the efficiency of the United Nations. The economic and social programmes of the United Nations need to be reformed, as well. For example, why are the issues of the Economic and Social Council reviewed four times a year, when twice a year might be sufficient? Combined with the restructuring of the Economic and Social Council's functional commissions, such a reduction of redundancy in the review process could free up vital financial and human resources for important economic and social development programmes in the developing countries that need them most. Latvia recognizes the important role of the United Nations and other international organizations in promoting worldwide development and reducing poverty.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Latvia believes that the Open-ended Working Group on Security Council Reform must continue its activities and come forth with proposals on how to make the Council more representative of todayís political and economic realities, how to provide the Council with greater legitimacy and how to render it more effective. A serious debate should be continued regarding the enlargement of the number of permanent and non- permanent members of the Security Council. Countries such as Japan or Germany can and should play an increasingly stronger role in this framework in view of their substantial contribution to United Nations activities and commitments. Proposals for enhancing coordination between the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council have made little progress.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“During the past few months alone, two new Missions were established, in Burundi and Haiti, while a third was expanded in CÙte díIvoire. The United Nations peacekeeping budget for next year may nearly double as a result. Latvia is deeply committed to the United Nations and to effective multilateralism as a central element of United Nations activities. Latvia believes that the United Nations must maintain its crucial role in the mediation of international disputes and that Member 24 States must summon the collective political will to support the United Nations as a truly credible force for peace. The Security Council has been the principal forum in which the countries of the world deliberate together on matters of peace and security.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Ten years after the human catastrophe in Rwanda, we are again confronted with the systematic rape, torture and killing of civilians, in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Those crimes have occurred on such a wide scale that they might be classifiable as ethnic cleansing and genocide. Latvia welcomes the mediation efforts of the African Union and encourages all parties involved to ensure that no further harm comes to the civilians of the region. My country supports Security Council resolution 1564 (2004) of 18 September, which urges the Sudanese Government to act decisively to stop the violence. The United Nations faces the prospect of establishing a new peacekeeping mission in Sudan, in addition to the 17 field operations already on the ground.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In Iraq, the United States-led coalition forces have handed over power to an interim Government, but security problems are hampering the reconstruction of the country and threaten the viability of free and fair elections this coming January. The transition in Iraq will require continued international assistance, and I encourage the United Nations to assume an active role in that regard. Afghanistan is due to experience its first ever elections next month. Latvia hopes that the historic event will not be derailed by violent attempts to disrupt the democratic process in that country. Latvia is ready to continue supporting international efforts to provide peace and security in both Afghanistan and Iraq.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Such strikes have done nothing to diminish the deep- seated feelings of resentment of disaffected populations. The events of the past few years, and indeed of the past few decades, point to the stark and sobering reality that the military option alone has not been effective in rooting out terrorism and that terrorism has not been an effective means for achieving political aspirations and goals. Such never-ending cycles of killing and mounting mutual hostility will cease once and for all only when the parties involved forsake the use of violence. In the Middle East, Latvia views the road map for peace as the only feasible means of obtaining a cessation of hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians. My country encourages the interested parties to do their utmost to de-escalate tensions and resume the peace process.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It is a crime against humanity, along with ethnic cleansing and genocide. Unfortunately, terrorism is not disappearing from the news headlines of the twenty- first century. Instead, it is becoming the principal method of warfare used by disaffected groups seeking to achieve their political ends and to blackmail national Governments. Nothing can justify the use of such means. Any seemingly noble ends can only be discredited by using terrorism to further them. Frequently, countries facing terrorist attacks have been using vastly superior military capabilities to strike hard at real or perceived terrorist targets. Too often, however, those strikes have had an undesirable side effect of their own: the further wounding and killing of civilians and the additional destruction of property.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“I wish I could begin this address on a more optimistic note, but since we last convened at the General Assembly one year ago, many dramatic and disconcerting events have occurred on the world stage. I refer in particular to the indiscriminate and brutal terrorist attacks on civilians all over the world: in Russia, Spain, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and many other countries. I refer to the targeting of children and their parents at schools, on buses and on aeroplanes. I refer to the almost daily bomb blasts on busy city streets, in marketplaces and in residential apartment buildings. I refer to the sadistic pride and relish with which terrorists have been filming the shooting, throat-slashing and decapitation of their victims. The purposeful torture and killing of civilians is one of the basest forms of human barbarity.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“For the moment, however, it appears that any substantial changes within the United Nations will have to await a renewed climate of consensus, which is not likely to precede the resolution of the crisis in the Middle East, the settling of trade disputes and the establishment of greater unity about agricultural subsidies, arms proliferation and environmental issues. Latvia firmly believes in the universal ideals that this Organization embodies and is ready, within the limited means at its disposal, to contribute to their realization. The United Nations presents our 191 Member States with the unique opportunity to work together for the benefit of humanity. Let us hope that our efforts will be coordinated and constructive, so that we may make the twenty-first century one of security, peace, and continued development.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“However, the United Nations has also been criticized for being slow, unwieldy and ineffectual. Few would disagree that it has reached a point where changes within its structure are required so that it can effectively deal with the new challenges of the twenty- first century. Let us recall that a working group on the reform of the Security Council was created already ten years ago, shortly after the collapse of the bipolar world that had dominated international relations for decades. At that time there were hopes that an unprecedented degree of unity might be reached within the United Nations community.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We must avoid reaching the stage at which the Earth’s energy and food resources become irreversibly depleted. People and Governments must be willing to make difficult economic sacrifices for the sake of a cleaner environment. Since its foundation in 1945, the United Nations has seen the number of its Member States increase almost fourfold. It has seen European colonialism, the Cold War and apartheid come to an end. It has successfully brokered the cessation of hostilities in Cyprus, East Timor and other countries. It has provided trillions of dollars of development assistance to numerous countries. Latvia believes that the United Nations should remain the principal world body for the mediation of international disputes and for the formulation of universal rules of conduct that all abide by.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“For example, it has prepared a national action plan to address the needs of children in consultation with local authorities, non-governmental organizations and the children themselves. In cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme office in Riga, it has also established a working group that is devoting particular attention to the reduction of child mortality and the improvement of mothers’ health. During the twentieth century, mankind inflicted more environmental damage on our planet than during all of the previous centuries combined. If we do not devote greater efforts to reducing environmental pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions, then future generations stand to inherit a planet with increasingly destructive climate change and with a forest cover that is restricted to scattered nature reserves.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Together with non-governmental organizations that are working to stop slavery, and through international organizations 3 such as the United Nations, our Governments must help those slaves break free from their chains. We all live in a world where such deadly diseases as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and, lately, SARS, to name a few, know no borders. It is only through the continued vigilance of our countries’ health officials and through close international cooperation that we will ever be able to keep those mortal dangers in check. I hope that yesterday’s AIDS conference has strengthened the resolve and confidence of participants to overcome this great affliction. The Government of Latvia is actively pursuing its commitments under the Millennium Declaration to attain the Millennium Development Goals.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“At this month’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Cancún, Mexico, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the WTO member States to say no to trade policies that aggravate poverty and to say yes to bold and sensible steps that will revive the global economy and set the new course for development. Poverty also provides fertile ground for modern- day slavery and the trafficking of humans, which continues to occur in nearly all regions of the globe. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, an estimated 27 million people are still being bought, sold, held captive, brutalized and exploited for profit.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“As we collectively seek to avoid a clash of civilizations between different societies in the world, so we must seek to reduce the growing discrepancies between the rich and the poor. Poverty afflicts every single member country of the United Nations. About three billion people, or half the world’s population, struggle to subsist on the equivalent of less than two dollars a day. Seventy per cent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their subsistence. The Millennium Goal of reducing poverty and of halving the proportion of people earning less than one dollar a day can be achieved only by improving the plight of poor farmers and creating viable agricultural communities. Poor farmers in developing countries cannot compete with products subsidized by the treasuries of the world’s richest countries.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In the case of Afghanistan and Iraq, where undeniably repressive regimes were removed by force through outside intervention, the military measures undertaken by the United States and its allies will have to be followed by comprehensive international efforts to help those countries rebuild their societies and their economies. I am certain that most of us would agree on the need for reconstruction and security regardless of our opinion about the foreign military presence in these two countries. Within the limited means at its disposal, Latvia has sent humanitarian assistance and military medical personnel to Afghanistan and has dispatched a military contingent to help maintain order in post-war Iraq.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“We encourage the interested parties to do everything within their means to de-escalate tensions and put the peace process back on track. The establishment of a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians would also have an additional benefit. It would remove the Palestinian cause as an excuse for terrorists to justify their actions of murder and destruction. As the events of the last few years so poignantly reveal, terrorism and arms proliferation have become two of the largest threats to world security today. Currently, the international community is deeply divided about the ethics and feasibility of implementing direct military action against Governments that are deemed to support and sponsor terrorism.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“The unrest and turmoil in the Middle East, which has lasted for well over five decades, shows no sign of abating and can only come to an end once violence is firmly forsaken as a means for obtaining political ends. Latvia views the road map for peace, which foresees a free and secure State of Israel living in peace alongside an independent Palestinian State as the only feasible means for ending the dangerous impasse that both sides have now reached. The alternative is a continuing escalation of bloodshed, a never-ending cycle of killing and mounting mutual hostility. Latvia is ready to promote the establishment of a lasting peace in the region, under the auspices of both the United Nations and the European Union.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“As the threat of a nuclear conflagration between two mutually hostile superpowers receded, new challenges to world security were coming to the fore, and older ones were showing no sign of going away. Perhaps humanity’s greatest problem lies in its propensity for violence, which manifests itself in all levels of society, starting with the abusive individual in the family household and ending in armed conflict in the international arena. Even peaceful countries with lengthy traditions of non-intervention and domestic tranquillity are finding themselves faced with tragic acts of senseless violence that include the beating and killing of immigrants and political assassinations.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Latvia and her Baltic neighbours reappeared on the international stage only twelve short years ago, following half a century of totalitarian rule under Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Our success story of rebirth and renewal testifies to the fact that through hard work and dedicated effort the re-establishment of democratic societies and functioning market economies can be realized within a relatively short period of time. Many other nations in transition are now undertaking similar paths of development and reform. Latvia is already sharing its experiences with other 2 developing countries, and will continue to do so in the future. Twelve years ago, when Latvia became a member of the United Nations, the Soviet Union was in the process of breaking up and the Cold War was coming to an end.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“In voting for accession to this influential body of free and democratic nations, my country became the last of 10 candidate States to confirm its commitment to a strong and united Europe and to the extension of a growing family of secure and prosperous nations. It is our hope that this extended Union of 25 member States will serve not only to promote the welfare of its citizens, but also to become an even more significant contributor to international stability and worldwide prosperity. The European Union is already the world’s largest provider of development assistance and Latvia looks forward to undertaking the responsibilities and commitments that this entails. This includes taking an active part in the formulation of priorities to ensure that the assistance provided by the European Union reaches those who need it most.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“I would like to begin by extending Latvia’s heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Julian Hunte on his appointment as President of the United Nations General Assembly. Latvia highly values his extensive experience and is confident that he will succeed in his efforts to hasten the pace of reforms within the Assembly. I am pleased that a broad consensus on the main goals of these reforms was achieved during the previous session, and I wish him success in his responsible duties. Three days ago, the people of Latvia made a historical decision that will influence their country’s course of development over the next foreseeable decades, or even centuries. On 20 September 2003, the people of Latvia decided, in a referendum, to join the European Union.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“Although the people and nations of the world are vastly diverse in their conditions of life and in their cultures, all human beings share the same basic needs and desires: access to the basic necessities of life, the possibility of growing and evolving as individuals, and the change to contribute to the growth and development of the countries that we each call home. As fellow inhabitants of our beautiful and fragile planet, let us pledge to commit our efforts to protect the physical equilibrium of the earth and to create a fairer social and economic equilibrium across the globe.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“But I am confident that by uniting our experiencing and resources, we shall eventually succeed in reducing poverty, cleaning up our environment, controlling the spread of diseases, and making this world a safer and more secure place in which to live. 21 The United Nations Organization was created first and foremost to serve for the benefit of humanity. It was created as an instrument for propagating the fundamental principles of democracy, humanism, universality, mutual respect and understanding.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“That is why Latvia has liberalized its trade regime with 49 of the world's least developed countries, in accordance with the Doha development agenda. Within its means and through United Nations channels, Latvia has also provided humanitarian aid to war-torn areas in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. Every nation, no matter how large or how small, is possessed of its own intrinsic, inalienable value. Every nation has its unique contribution to make to humanity as a whole. Let us remember this as we meet here today at this fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Together, our nations have many serious challenges to address.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Nevertheless I am proud to note that on 17 June last Latvia and UNDP signed a memorandum of understanding by which Latvia's status as a recipient of United Nations assistance was changed to that of a net contributor. Latvia sees its intellectual potential and its experience in the implementation of transition reforms as a national resource. We have now entered the phase of sharing this resource with other developing nations. During the past two years, Latvia, in cooperation with Canada and the European Union, has been providing technical assistance and expertise to Ukraine, Georgia and Croatia. Latvia is convinced that the reduction of disparities in income and standards of living among the world's nations is essential for the consolidation of peace and security across the globe.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)