Statement of Latvia in the Third Committee in the Interactive dialogue on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance at the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly
New York, 4 November 2025
Thank you, Madam Chair.
We align ourselves with the statement of the European Union and would like to add the following remarks in our national capacity.
We thank all briefers for their dedication and work on countering contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
Madam Special Rapporteur,
The trends in and manifestations of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance are deeply troubling, and we firmly stand against such expressions. Your report highlights the interconnectedness between conflict and systemic issues such as racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia, underscoring how these forces not only fuel violence but also perpetuate cycles of exclusion and injustice across societies.
Nonetheless, we also must remain vigilant against the cynical misuse and politization of human rights language to cloak violations and spread disinformation, including in this Committee. Latvia strongly condemns Russia’s claim of combating Nazism in Ukraine as a pretext for a war of aggression. This narrative is a clear propaganda instrument. The Baltic States know too well how the Soviet Union cloaked its aggression against sovereign countries in the language of anti-Nazism, claiming liberation, while, in fact, realizing its imperial ambitions. Our nations endured occupation and annexation, mass deportations, and forced russification for almost half a century. We cannot accept that the most basic principles of human rights and history itself are being politicized and rewritten for the sake of aggression and modern-day colonialism.
Madam Special Rapporteur, in your opinion, what impact does this kind of disinformation have on genuine efforts to combat contemporary forms of intolerance and protect human rights?