NAIROBI, Kenya- President William Ruto is pushing for major reforms at the United Nations Security Council, calling for an overhaul of the current multilateralism system, which he believes is failing to address the world’s most urgent challenges.
Speaking at the Summit of the Future plenary at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ruto argued that issues like climate change, inequality, and debt require new solutions that outdated global frameworks are unable to provide.
Ruto warned that without swift changes, humanity faces an unprecedented global crisis. “Today, we have no choice but to reject outdated systems and re-imagine a framework of international cooperation that works for all 8 billion people,” he said.
The President emphasized the need to redesign the international financial system, strengthen partnerships for common security, bridge the digital divide, and invest in human capacity.
He also highlighted that only 17pc of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track, largely due to unmet financial commitments, particularly for developing countries.
“Developing nations, especially in Africa and the Global South, are grappling with severe funding shortages, and the gap is widening,” Ruto added, stressing that this financial shortfall threatens the realization of the SDGs .
In a passionate plea, President Ruto called for the UN to address what he described as a “historical injustice”—Africa’s lack of permanent representation on the Security Council.
Ruto made it clear that UN reforms must prioritize inclusivity and fairness for all regions of the world, especially as developing nations struggle to have their voices heard on the global stage.
Shifting to Haiti, Ruto updated the General Assembly on the progress of the Kenya-led Multinational Support Mission.
Despite limited resources, the mission has made strides toward peace, something many initially thought impossible. “What looked like mission impossible is now a present and real possibility for peace in Haiti,” he remarked.
Ruto also underscored Kenya’s commitment to fighting climate change, announcing the goal of increasing the country’s forest cover to 30pc by 2030 through the planting of 15 billion trees.
The newly launched ClimateWorX initiative aiming to employ 200,000 young Kenyans in sustainable public works.
“This program is focused on ecological restoration and infrastructure, and it’s being led by our youth, who are at the forefront of climate action,” Ruto explained.
In an earlier dialogue session at the Summit, Ruto took a deeper dive into the structural and monetary issues crippling multilateral financial institutions.
He pointed out how rising debt, unfair credit ratings, and uneven interest rates disproportionately affect developing countries, hindering their progress toward meeting SDG targets.
He expressed hope that next year’s International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Spain, could be the last chance for meaningful reforms in this area .
