UN urges global institutions to recognise Africa as a partner in rebuilding trust in multilateralism

Africa must have a greater role in shaping international decisions if global institutions are to regain public confidence, a senior United Nations official said Thursday, warning that trust depends on institutions delivering on their promises and representing the people they serve.

Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, made the remarks at a leadership meeting in Nairobi focused on rebuilding trust in multilateralism, ahead of the Trust Summit scheduled for October 21–23.

Her address connected Africa’s longstanding demands for a fairer international order with a challenge to the continent’s leaders. Governments, she said, must hold international partners accountable for their commitments while demonstrating greater accountability to their own citizens.

The debate comes amid persistent concerns about the credibility of multilateral institutions, the distribution of influence in global decision-making and the gap between international pledges on climate finance and development assistance and the resources eventually delivered.

“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. “The starting point for trust is to treat Africa as a shaper of our common future, and not as a recipient of global change.”

Her remarks raise a wider question about the international system: how can institutions expect public confidence when countries and communities affected by their decisions feel they have limited influence over how those decisions are made?

For African countries, the issue covers representation in international institutions, access to development finance and the ability to influence rules governing the global economy.

Eziakonwa said, however, that reform must go hand in hand with stronger performance at home, including delivery on commitments in agriculture, education and public services.

She argued that trust is earned through measurable results, not declarations of intent.

“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,” she said. “That is what the Nairobi Call to Action and its framework for action are designed to do.”

The Nairobi meeting seeks to turn these principles into practical steps by bringing governments, international organisations, civil society, businesses and young people into a common process for defining commitments and tracking implementation.

Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said restoring trust would require established institutions to widen participation in decision-making and engage more closely with actors outside government.

“If we are serious about rebuilding trust, states must open the door to greater engagement with society, and large institutions must make room for non-state actors,” Sing’Oei said. “That is what the Trust Summit is designed to be: a space where we are co-creators and co-equals in building a more trustworthy future.”

Young people, whose economic prospects and political participation will be shaped by decisions made today, must also have a meaningful role in determining the future of multilateral institutions.

Deborah Ndanu Nzomo, secretary-general of Kenya Model United Nations, said institutions could not expect young people to trust them without showing that they valued young people’s contributions.

“The future of multilateralism depends not only on whether young people believe in its institutions, but also on whether those institutions demonstrate that they believe in young people,” Nzomo said. “Trust must be mutual.”

The October summit will face the task of turning these commitments into action that can be independently assessed. Proposed outcomes include a Nairobi Statement on Global Trust, a summit report, a Trust Barometer dashboard, a joint task force to monitor implementation and a report examining Africa’s trust landscape.

Whether these mechanisms deliver lasting change will depend on governments and institutions making commitments, disclosing progress and accepting scrutiny when promises go unmet. For Africa, the stakes extend beyond restoring confidence in individual institutions to shaping international cooperation while ensuring its governments earn the trust of their citizens.