On 29 October 2024, in Washington, D.C., the Embassy of Latvia in the United States hosted an event to inform the U.S. administration officials and the members of the diplomatic corps in the U.S., including from the Latin American, the Caribbean, and African countries, about the lobby campaign for Latvia’s UNSC candidacy and its thematic priorities.
At the opening, the Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of Latvia in the U.S., Jānis Beķeris, introduced those present to Latvia’s thematic priorities:
- the rule of law and democracy;
- women’s empowerment;
- solutions to security, sustainability and development.
Jānis Beķeris underlined in his address to the audience:
“Latvia stands as a candidate to the UN Security Council elections in 2025. We are looking forward to promoting the values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in this forum on an international scale, while also highly welcoming the opportunity to share Latvia’s talents and cultural heritage.”
The event featured a concert of the renowned Latvian pianist Andrejs Osokins, with the theme “From Vasks to Vītols. The Greats of Latvian Piano Music”. The recital highlighted the Latvian Embassy’s commitment to further cultural exchange and strengthening the bonds of friendship between Latvia and the United States, as well as promoting Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council for the term of 2026–2027.
The event was organised as part of the public diplomacy programme in support of the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council. The campaign under the motto of “Together for peace and resilience” aims at ensuring successful election of Latvia to the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–2027 term in the 2025 election, at which Latvia is running for an elected member’s seat for the first time. Membership of the UNSC will be a key instrument in pursuit and protection of Latvia’s foreign policy interests, as well as making it possible for Latvia to expand the scale of its international cooperation and thereby contributing to world peace and resilience.