Statement by H.E. Mr. Andrejs Pildegovičs
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to the UN
at the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and the increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council
New York, 16 February 2021
Distinguished Co-Chairs,
At the outset, let me thank you for swiftly rounding up after the first session so we can return here and continue our discussions. Against the current backdrop, we would like to reiterate our call for a move towards text-based negotiations without further delay. We need to move quickly and efficiently.
Keeping that in mind, I would like to touch upon the issue of the working methods of the Security Council, especially use of the veto.
The UN Security Council remains a principal organ for maintaining international peace and security and its actions have implications with respect to international law, but there is a significant gap between its mandate and execution. This can be attributed to the long-overdue reform of the Council – years have passed, but we do not find ourselves even a step closer to the finish line.
The fact that the Council has not always lived up to its responsibility is directly linked to the use or even the mere threat of the use of the veto. Veto use should not be seen as a privilege. It often leads to paralysis in the Security Council when mass atrocities are committed [and by no means it should be considered as a morally and politically justifiable act]. People see the failures of the Security Council to act decisively as the failures of the UN and this we cannot allow. We cannot expect faith in the UN system to last if the Security Council’s hands are tied.
We therefore stress the importance of the Council to take a decisive action and to foster cooperation in the face of crises where populations are subjected to or threatened with genocide or other atrocity crimes.
In 2015, Latvia joined the Code of Conduct regarding UN Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, as proposed by the “Group of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency”. The Code urges permanent members of the Council to refrain from using their veto in situations involving mass atrocity crimes, and it invites all of the members of the Council to accede to the Code, including any other state that may at some point become a member of the Council. We see this as a pledge to a timely and decisive Security Council action in situations of atrocity crimes.
Latvia also commends the call of France and Mexico for the permanent members of the Security Council to voluntarily and collectively pledge not to use the veto in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes on a large scale. We believe that the abovementioned initiatives can provide necessary impulses for the change in Council’s working methods and output. The question of veto is not an easy one but it is an essential part of the reform.
On categories of membership – Latvia reiterates that all regions must be adequately represented on the Council to ensure its legitimacy. The reform should ensure equitable geographic distribution of both permanent and non-permanent seats in the Council.
Latvia supports greater representation of African and Latin American countries in the Council, and allocation of at least one additional non-permanent seat to the Eastern European Group.
We believe that during the nomination and election of non-permanent members of the Council due consideration should be given to adequate representation of small and medium size member states.
Thank you!