Global institutions need to give Africa a greater role in international decision-making and show that their promises lead to results if they are to rebuild public trust, a senior United Nations official said Thursday.
Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, delivered the message at a Nairobi leadership meeting on rebuilding trust in multilateralism. The discussions precede the Trust Summit, due to take place from October 21 to 23.
She said the push for a fairer international order must involve a change in how Africa participates in global decisions. At the same time, African governments must demand that international partners honour their commitments and demonstrate accountability to their own citizens.
The meeting comes as questions persist over the influence different countries have in multilateral institutions and whether international pledges on climate finance and development assistance translate into resources reaching the countries that need them.
“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 message puts representation and accountability at the centre of the debate. Institutions face a difficult task in restoring confidence when countries and communities affected by their decisions feel excluded from the process.
African countries want greater representation in international institutions, improved access to development finance and a stronger voice in setting the rules of the global economy. Eziakonwa said these changes should be accompanied by improved domestic performance, including delivery in agriculture, education and public services.
She stressed that trust should be measured through what institutions achieve rather than what they announce.
“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 is designed to establish a practical approach to these demands. Governments, international organisations, civil society, businesses and young people are being brought together to define commitments and determine how implementation will be monitored.
Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said wider participation was essential to rebuilding trust. States and major institutions, he said, should make more room for society and organisations operating 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 must also be included in decisions that will affect their livelihoods, opportunities and political participation.
Deborah Ndanu Nzomo, secretary-general of Kenya Model United Nations, said institutions needed to show young people that their participation was valued.
“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 Trust Summit is expected to consider a Nairobi Statement on Global Trust, a summit report, a Trust Barometer dashboard, a joint task force to follow implementation and a report examining Africa’s trust landscape.
The central test will be whether these proposals lead to commitments that can be independently assessed. Institutions will need to disclose progress and accept scrutiny when they fail to deliver.
For Africa, rebuilding trust means securing a stronger role in international cooperation while ensuring governments at home earn the confidence of their citizens.
