Statement by H.E. Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, Permanent Representative of Latvia to the United Nations at the UN Security Council Briefing on Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security: European Union
New York, 16 April 2026
Thank you, Mr. President,
I thank Assistant Secretary Khaled Khiari for his briefing.
I welcome the High Representative Kallas to the Council today, and express appreciation for her valuable briefing.
Mr. President,
With multilateralism and international law being severely challenged, Latvia, as a Member State of the European Union, remains firmly committed to upholding the UN Charter and its fundamental principles. The close cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union, as described by both briefers, spans across all three pillars of the UN, as established by the UN Charter - peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.
First, we do our part in maintaining international peace and security. There is a strong and effective cooperation on-the-ground between the UN system and the European Union's mediation efforts, civilian and military missions. Latvia has been contributing to EU initiative missions in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. We welcome the Council’s continued support for the EU’s important work, including EUFOR-ALTHEA and the Operation IRINI.
Effective crisis response requires regional actors to engage and cooperate. The Arab League, the African Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council show the importance of regional organizations working in lock step with the UN to uphold the UN Charter in their respective regions. The European Union takes a principled stance against aggression globally, not only on our continent. This is why all EU Member States supported resolution 2817 condemning Iranian attacks against its neighbors. Another example is the long-standing cooperation between the European Union and the African Union, including AU peacekeeping efforts, particularly AUSSOM in Somalia.
Second, at a time when attacks against civilians and humanitarian personnel have reached alarming levels, the European Union calls for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts and respect for international humanitarian law in every context — be it in Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti or Ukraine. We support human rights defenders and humanitarian actors, especially local organizations. This is central to the purpose of the United Nations. It is our shared responsibility to protect civilians and put maximum pressure on aggressors and perpetrators, including through sanctions.
Third, the European Union and its member states remain the largest financial contributors to the UN system - financing around one quarter of the UN regular and the peacekeeping budget and one third of all financial contributions to the UN agencies, funds and programmes, paying our contributions to the UN in full and always on time. Within Team Europe, Latvia is particularly focused on supporting the rule of law, good governance, empowering women, advancing gender equality and socio-economic development, fostering digitalization and addressing climate change and environmental challenges in our partner countries.
Mr President,
when the EU arose from the devastation of the Second World War and went on to closely cooperate with the UN, Latvia experienced decades of Soviet occupation.
Upon regaining independence, one of our first goals was to join the European Union – the largest and most enduring peace project in history. We cannot choose our neighbors, but we can choose our friends and partners. We have been part of the European Union for 22 years and have never looked back.
This lived experience explains why Latvia stands firmly with Ukraine and its sovereign right to do the same. We will not tolerate the use fiction and lies as a pretext to bend the UN Charter, especially against sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine or any country.
Alongside the European Union, Latvia will remain a steadfast contributor to effective multilateralism with the United Nations at its core.
I thank you.