Highlights of Ruto's tour as UN General Assembly nears end

Kenya has successfully concluded her participation at the weeklong 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Assembly opened on September 19 and will run until September 26.

While addressing the session on Thursday, President William Ruto challenged the existing norms and standards in the current global geopolitical configurations.

He reaffirmed his stance for a new climate financial system that is fair to both the economically empowered nations and unstable economies particularly in Africa.

Ruto remarked that these were inconsistent with the founding principles and purpose of the United Nations.

In particular, the President noted that the dysfunctional nature of the United Nations Security Council occasioned by ideological and political differences among the major powers, had resulted in a Council that was incapable of delivering meaningful progress to global security challenges.

Ruto also briefed the regional peace and security architecture, particularly Kenya’s efforts at Silencing the Guns in Africa.

The President said Kenya was keen to use her position as an anchor State and a guarantor of regional peace and security to leverage peaceful coexistence as an essential component for accelerating Africa's economic growth and development.

The President appealed to the UN General Assembly on the need for concerted global efforts to aid Haiti.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua during the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, GCTF, observed that spikes in acts of terror were due to unattended simmering conflicts.

He said addressing the impending conflicts was, therefore, vital in advancing peace and security objectives in the region.

The President also chaired a High-Level Meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) on the margins of UNGA78.

The purpose of the meeting was to sustain the momentum generated by the African Climate Summit (ACS) held in Nairobi –as well as by the Africa Food Systems Forum Summit that was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in September of 2023.

Ruto not only allowed for reflections on the Nairobi Declaration and the UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit, but was also central in reinforcing Kenya’s Climate credentials.

The Kenyan delegation to the High-level Week of the Session further advanced the country’s economic, political and commercial interests, consistent with Kenya’s Economic Diplomacy ethos.

The President witnessed the establishment of Diplomatic Relations with a number of countries, including the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Haiti.

The expansion of the country’s Diplomatic Footprint in the Caribbean allows Kenya to build on the bonds of ancestry and friendship between Africa and CARICOM and to also lay foundations for lasting, robust socio-economic and political engagements, State House said.

Ruto also met with significant and influential captains of industry, key among them Lawrence Fink, chairman and CEO, Blackrock; Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ajay Banga, World Bank President, as well as senior executives from the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The President signed the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provides time-limited grants to Kenya, thus promoting economic growth, reducing poverty and strengthening of the country’s institutions.

The High-Level Business meetings were crucial in reassuring the various investors of the viability, diverseness and resilience of the Kenyan economy.

Kenya’s participation at the High-level Week of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA78) in New York provided the country with an essential platform for the advancement of the country’s foreign policy and economic objectives and also in contributing to a safer, secure and prosperous Africa.