Latvia has never been a member of the UN Security Council. Therefore, Latvia will stand in elections in 2025 for a seat of a non-permanent member state of the UN Security Council.
Diplomats, foreign experts and representatives of non-governmental organisations gathered at the country's presidential residence in Jūrmala on Monday, July 27 to discuss Latvia's interests in the United Nations (UN).
“How to get to the Security Council is the first task, and the second task is to think about what we will do when we are elected,” said the President of Latvia, Egils Levits.
????Latvia is ready to run for the #UNSC, which is a #UN body of the highest importance and prestige. We are following in the footsteps of our neighbours Estonia and Lithuania, and we can learn from their experience, and, of course, that of other countries https://t.co/QZr9Om4jW8
— Egils Levits (@valstsgriba) July 28, 2020
193 countries are represented in the United Nations. Latvia will need the support of 2/3 or 129 states to enter the Security Council. But, as the president acknowledged, most of the world doesn't know much about Latvia.
“A great deal of work is needed here to make Latvia known. Not Latvia as such, but what Latvia wants, what Latvia's contribution will be. This will interest these 129 countries. Because [otherwise] why would they vote for us?” Levits said.
The UN was founded 75 years ago, at the time Latvia was occupied. Latvia became a Member State after regaining independence in September 1991.
The UN Security Council consists of 15 Member States. The U.S., France, Russia, China and the U.K. are permanent member states with veto power.
Another 10 states are elected for a two-year term. A seat in the Security Council gives the country an influence on peace and security matters.
According to the participants in the discussion, the experience of Latvia in the 30 years of independence shows that the country is prepared to take on global challenges.
“We've dealt with the financial crisis. We are responding very well to the COVID-19 crisis right now. I think that the next big crisis is climate change,” said Otto Davidovs, the UN youth delegate of Latvia.
In preparation for the Security Council elections, Latvia hopes to learn from the experience of Estonia, which is currently on the Council. Lithuania has also already sat at the prestigious UN table. As the experts highlighted, although the elections will take place in five years' time, they must start preparing for now. This will require resources, diplomats' efforts and national awareness advertising campaigns on international media.
