The obverse features the large Latvian coat of arms above the inscription LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA. Below, the numeral 1 is shown with LATS in a semicircle beneath it and the year 2000 to its left.
The central motif, a drawing by eleven-year-old Latvian Guna Barbale, depicts a child on a hilltop against a landscape of rivers, hills, and the sun. It is encircled by the text "FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD" and topped by the UNICEF logo.