President Ruto calls for global reforms at UN Assembly

President William Ruto has called for bold reforms at the United Nations Security Council to address the climate crisis, debt burden and inequalities.

Speaking during the United Nations General Assembly Summit in New York, the head of state stressed the urgent need for action to prevent an unprecedented global catastrophe.

“We have no choice but to reject outdated systems and re-imagine a framework of international cooperation that works for all eight billion people,” he said.

He urged the United Nations (UN) to transition from boardroom discussions to tangible actions that address the global impacts of climate change.

“This means redesigning the international financial system and strengthening partnership for common security bridging the digital divide and investing in human capacity,” he stated.

Ruto also pointed out that lack of funding was a major obstacle as only 17% of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are on track.

“Developing countries, particularly in Africa and the Global South are facing severe funding shortages” he said.

He argued that the structural and monetary problems hindering multilateral financial institutions were unfairly impacting developing nations and needed to be resolved.

“The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain next year might be our last chance to make significant reforms to meet the SDGs,” he said.

Dr Ruto stated that Kenya is committed to expanding its forest cover to 30% by 2030 through a massive tree-planting initiative by planting 15 billion trees, an effort primarily driven by the youth.

“Two weeks ago, I launched Climate Works, a programme to employ 200,000 young people focusing on ecological restoration and infrastructure,” he explained.

President Ruto praised the Kenyan soldiers on the peacekeeping mission in Haiti, stating that despite working with limited resources, the troop has achieved concrete progress.

“I went to Porto Prince yesterday to witness the significant progress made by Kenya’s mission and what looked like mission impossible is now a present and a real possibility for peace in Haiti,” he added.

The president added that the historical injustice of Africa’s lack of permanent representation on the UN Security Council should be addressed as a matter of justice in the ongoing UN reforms.