President of Latvia praises OECD for accrued expertise and Latvia’s membership

On 14 December, President of Latvia Egils Levits took part in an online event marking the 60th anniversary of the OECD. Egils Levits took floor to congratulate Secretary-General Angel Gurría on the anniversary of the organisation, which has worked successfully for the past 14 years under his leadership. President Levits specifically thanked Secretary-General Angel Gurría for all the expertise accrued by OECD over time and provided to Latvia after its accession to the organisation. He strongly praised OECD competence in helping its member countries implement the principles of good governance in

During the OECD 60th anniversary event President of Latvia took part in leaders’ panel on the role of multilateralism in overcoming global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As he emphasised, there are no alternatives to multilateralism. No country is big or strong enough to be able to handle global challenges alone or pursue its own agenda without creating synergies with other countries. President Levits pointed out that climate change and COVID-19 pandemic have clearly demonstrated that we need an efficient multilateralism based on full respect of international law, justice and human rights.

Egils Levits also mentioned various risks that multilateralism may encounter as a result of technological and digital progress. According to the President, the world needs to agree on legal and ethical standards, and Latvia is ready to work on them together with other international partners.

One of the main advantages of the European Union is that it is able to secure the consensus between all 27 of its member states, said the President.

Discussion:

Photo: