On 25 September 2020, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, took part in a discussion, “Our commitment and contribution to building back better”, organised by Germany and France, the founders of the Alliance for Multilateralism. The event took place as part of the High-Level Week of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and was aired in a video format.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica reconfirmed Latvia’s support for a multilateral diplomacy approach to overcoming international crises and challenges. Effective cooperation in international organizations strengthens our ability to jointly address global challenges, such as climate change, rules-based international order and the protection of human rights. Multilateralism is the most efficient way to deal with the consequences of the global pandemic.
In her statement, the Parliamentary Secretary underlined it was critical that states counter misinformation along with active engagement by international organizations, and the importance of countering misinformation has increased especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Latvia will continue keeping the matter of disinformation risks high on the UN agenda as part of our understanding of effective multilateralism.
The Parliamentary Secretary called for increasing attention to be devoted to global challenges to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and she pointed to the constraints placed on civil society in Belarus.
Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica noted during the discussion that only through active cooperation and multilateralism is it possible to effectively tackle and overcome crises and to maintain international peace and security.
The meeting brought together foreign ministers and other officials from 70 countries.
Background information
Effective multilateralism is one of the priorities in the EU’s foreign policy, also supported by Latvia. This year, the topic of effective multilateralism has received additional attention of EU and UN public diplomacy in the context of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, seeking to better explain the meaning of multilateralism and how UN decisions and action influence human lives.
In 2019, the French and German Foreign Ministers launched the Alliance for Multilateralism. Latvia has also joined the network. It is an informal alliance of countries united in their conviction that multilateral cooperation and a rules-based international order is the only reliable guarantee for international stability and peace. The Alliance allows for the constitution of issue-based coalitions formed around specific initiatives.