Statement by Elvira Cupika-Mavrina, Legal advisor of Latvia to the United Nations
at the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform
New York, 16 February 2023
Honorable Co-Chairs,
I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Co-Chairs – Permanent Representatives of Austria and Kuwait - for conveying this meeting and leading the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Security Council reform, and pledge Latvia’s full support to your efforts.
Back in 1948 prof. Norman J. Padelford wrote the following: No feature of United Nations activity has raised more doubts about the ability of international organization to assure peace and security than the recurrent appearance of the veto in the Security Council during the past two years.[1] Regrettably, this 75-year-old quote is still applicable today, because Security Council is paralyzed by Russia and its abuse of veto.
We believe that the right of veto or a threat to use it must not be applied to justify a crime of aggression and annexation of the territory of another UN member state.
Every day a permanent Security Council member poses new, more complex threats and challenges to international peace and security, and while Russia brings new levels of atrocities, brutality and suffering to Ukraine, we cannot expect faith in the UN system to last if the Security Council’s hands are tied.
This can be also 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. In this context, Latvia would like to reiterate its call to start the text-based negotiations without any hesitation.
Latvia 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 initiative provides necessary impulses for the change in Council’s working methods and output. We call on all UN Member States to join this pledge.
The adoption of the so-called veto initiative has contributed to the efforts aimed at empowering the General Assembly and ensuring that the UN is not voiceless when the Council appears deadlocked.
As a member of the ACT Group, Latvia believes that the Council would better represent the interests of the United Nations membership if we could demand more accountability, legitimacy and transparency, including regarding the working methods. At the same time, we believe the Council should enhance its relations with the broader UN membership.
Latvia continues to advocate for equitable regional representation of African, Latin American and Small Island Developing States in the Council. Likewise, we see a merit in the allocation of additional elected membership to the Eastern European Group.
Latvia strongly believes that no matter the size, all countries can have an impact in the Security Council. Latvia is strongly committed to further prove that the Baltic states can positively contribute to solving global challenges.
Therefore, in 2025 Latvia will run for the elections of the non-permanent member of the Security Council which reflects our responsibility to contribute to international peace and security, protect the rules-based international order and advance effective multilateralism.
In conclusion, we confide in the leadership of the Co-Chairs in facilitating substantive results on the reform of the Security Council in a text-based format that would trigger the progress in the negotiations. As we have underlined before, we believe that a consolidated text of positions of the Member States following this session would benefit in taking the next step.
Thank you!
[1] Padelford, Norman J. “The Use of the Veto.” International Organization, vol. 2, no. 2, 1948, pp. 227–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3030288. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.