On 17 September 2020, Latvia celebrates the 29th anniversary of its accession to the United Nations. To mark this occasion and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, a special focus has been placed on UN themes and topics in Latvia this year.
A series of events held by various institutions will come together in a single UN month to be launched on 18 September with the unveiling of an exhibition, “Baltic Appeal to the United Nations” at the National Library of Latvia. The exhibition is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in association with the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the National Archives of Latvia and the Latvian National Library.
Alongside detailed information on the activities of BATUN (“Baltic Appeal to the United Nations”), visitors to the exhibition will have the chance to see for the first time documentary evidence and original documents that have now been put on public display concerning this Baltic exile organisation which constantly kept reminding the UN member states about the Baltic States’ occupation. The documents shown at the exhibition were brought from New York for preservation in the State Archive of Latvia.
The United Nations celebrate its 75th anniversary with a focus on explaining the international role of the organisation and multilateral cooperation (multilateralism). On 21 September, a high-level UN event will be held in honour of the 75th anniversary of the organisation with participation of the President of Latvia, Egils Levits.
The UN was established in 1945 and currently it comprises 193 member states. The UN was the first global organisation, which Latvia joined on 17 September 1991, shortly after regaining independence. The accession of the Baltic States to the UN completed the two-year process of restoring their national independence.
Latvia’s interests in the UN are represented by the Permanent Missions of Latvia to the UN in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, as well as Permanent Representatives to UN specialised agencies and organisations working on chemical weapons prohibition, education, science and culture, as well as food and agriculture.
A video on the Baltic exile organisation – BATUN – can be viewed here.