Global institutions should give Africa a greater role in shaping international decisions to restore public confidence in multilateralism, a senior United Nations official has said, urging governments to match their promises with measurable results.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, Ahunna Eziakonwa says Africa should be treated as a co-architect of the international system rather than a recipient of decisions made by powerful nations, ahead of the Trust Summit scheduled for Nairobi on October 21-23.
“Africa is not asking for a seat at someone else’s table anymore. Africa is a co-architect of a system that is renewed, and not only repaired,” Eziakonwa said at a leadership meeting focused on rebuilding trust in multilateral institutions.
Her remarks come amid growing scrutiny of global institutions over unequal representation in decision-making and the gap between pledges on climate finance and development assistance and the funding ultimately delivered.
Eziakonwa said reforms should extend beyond international institutions to African governments, which must hold global partners accountable while improving their own delivery of essential services, including education and agriculture.
She says trust requires clear commitments, named officials responsible for implementation, deadlines and regular reporting on progress.
“Trust is not rebuilt by grand declaration. It’s rebuilt by commitment, one commitment after another, each with a named owner, a timeline, and a date on which we report back,” said Eziakonwa, adding that the Nairobi Call to Action was designed to turn those principles into action.
Foreign Affairs, Principal Secretary, Dr Korir Sing’Oei says rebuilding confidence also required governments and international institutions to involve civil society, businesses and other non-state actors in decision-making.
The summit is expected to bring together governments, international organisations, businesses, civil society and young people to discuss practical measures for improving accountability and making global cooperation more inclusive.
Deborah Ndanu Nzomo, Secretary-General of Kenya Model United Nations says young people must be given meaningful opportunities to influence institutions if they are expected to trust them.
The proposed summit outcomes include a Nairobi Statement on Global Trust, a dashboard to track commitments and a joint task force to monitor implementation.