President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent reforms at the United Nations to ensure Africa is allocated two permanent seats at the Security Council complete with all attendant rights and prerogatives.
Speaking when he delivered Kenya’s country statement at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, the Head of State said, besides the two permanent seats being demanded by the continent, Africa deserves more non-permanent seats.
Currently, Africa has three non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council.
Uhuru said the additional seats would correct the historical injustices that Africa has suffered at the global body over the years.
In the speech that lasted slightly under twenty minutes, President Kenyatta pointed out that real change at the global body cannot be realized without reforms to the membership of the UN Security Council.
The President said the global governance system needs to reform for it to be relevant and effective in addressing current and emerging global challenges. He pointed out that multilateralism has come under severe strain due to mistrust among global leaders and can only be addressed through genuine reforms.
Uhuru further pointed out that populism and extremism unleashed at the national level has brought forward powerful constituencies that want a dismantling of the global order. For this to change, said President Kenyatta, there is an urgent political need for the world to close the trust gap between people and governing institutions.