NEW YORK 's U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga as envoy, the president's press service reported. The Latvian president will be responsible for promoting U.N. reform ideas before the upcoming U.N. General Assembly summit scheduled for September.
"As Latvia's head of state, President Vike-Freiberga has actively supported the need for U.N. reform. Elected to a second term in office in 2003, she has successfully guided her nation through a period of active reforms, leading to full membership in EU and NATO," the secretary-general's press service wrote.
"The secretary-general wishes to express his profound gratitude to her excellency for having agreed to take on this challenging assignment and invest her time, energy and political wisdom in assisting him in his efforts," the letter continued.
Along with the Latvian president, Annan has also appointed as envoys Ireland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, former President of Mozambique Joaquin Chissano and former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo.
At the end of March, Annan proposed that the General Assembly implement comprehensive U.N. reforms, which would include increasing the number of security council members from 15 to 24 in order to better meet the world's needs in the 21st century. Annan also proposed measures for reaching such U.N. Millennium Declaration targets as halving poverty in the next 10 years and advancing human rights and freedoms.
The new U.N. envoys will visit various countries of the world, promoting the ideas of U.N. reforms among political leaders, representatives of civil society, scientists and the mass media.
The summit will take place in New York Sept. 14 's 16, shortly before the opening of the General Assembly session, dedicated to the U.N.'s 60th anniversary.
