Ruto Pushes for UN Reforms, Global Justice to End Inequality at Doha Summit

President William Ruto has renewed calls for reform of the United Nations and global financial systems to address deepening inequality and historical injustices, urging the world to embrace fairness and cooperation

Speaking in Doha, Qatar, during the Second World Summit for Social Development, President Ruto delivering a statement on behalf of the African Group of States said true social progress depends on equal representation and historical justice

“True social development cannot thrive without historical justice and equal representation,” he declared, reaffirming Africa’s demand for two permanent and two non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council

Ruto said the African Union’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations marked a turning point toward accountability for crimes of slavery, colonisation, apartheid, and exploitation

Among those present were UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several heads of state and government

Reflecting on the 30 years since the first such summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, Ruto said that although progress has been made, poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion remain major challenges

“Across many sub-regions in Africa and Western Asia, hunger is rising, growth is slowing down, and vulnerability is deepening,” he said.

To reverse the trend, Ruto outlined Africa’s priorities: transforming informal sectors, expanding productive capacity, and increasing access to global markets efforts that, he said, require stronger international cooperation in line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Right to Development

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He also urged a comprehensive reform of the international financial system to make it fair, transparent, and responsive to developing nations’ needs

“We urge decisive action on debt distress and progress toward the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation,” he added.

Kenya’s Local Efforts

Ruto highlighted Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda as a blueprint for reducing inequality.

On education, he said Kenya had transitioned to the Competence-Based Education and Training system, hired 76,000 new teachers—with the figure expected to reach 100,000 by January 2026—and introduced a student-centred higher education funding model.

He also cited expansion of technical and vocational training institutions and the Hustler Fund, which has disbursed KSh80 billion ($615 million) to 26.7 million Kenyans.

Additionally, Ruto announced the upcoming launch of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project, set to support one million young Kenyans with financial grants, training, and start-up funding over the next five years

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He noted that Kenya’s Inua Jamii programme now supports 1.7 million vulnerable families, while the affordable housing initiative has created over 320,000 jobs with 230,000 housing units under construction

Through labour mobility programmes, more than 400,000 Kenyans have secured jobs abroad, while reforms in healthcare have expanded insurance coverage from 8 million in 2023 to 27.2 million people today

“Kenya’s experience affirms that people-centred policies deliver transformative results,” Ruto said

Call for Unity and Global Cooperation

Ruto warned against rising isolationism, saying nations are becoming divided by nationalism and short-term interests

“The consensus that once bound us together in Copenhagen is fraying,” he cautioned. “The world risks retreating into isolation at a time when cooperation should be a priority”

He concluded by urging global leaders to work together to dismantle systems that perpetuate inequality and exclusion, calling the moment “a test of our shared humanity and commitment to justice”

Writer : Mweru Mbugua