The house at 21 Pils Street in Old Riga had a new day on 16 July 1999: it was formally opened as the UN House in Latvia. At the doorway stood President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga and UN Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Petrovsky; Kofi Annan sent a message of congratulations. Under one roof in Riga, the UN brought together its development, refugee, health, drug-control and migration offices. An old city building suddenly acquired a very practical international address.

Latvia joined the UN in 1991, so the 1999 ceremony still belonged to the first decade after the restoration of independence. Vīķe-Freiberga connected the opening with the practical consolidation of UN agencies in Riga and Latvia’s return to international circulation.