International institutions will struggle to regain public confidence unless they give Africa a stronger voice in global decision-making and demonstrate that their commitments produce results, a senior United Nations official said Thursday.
Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, spoke at a leadership meeting in Nairobi examining ways to rebuild trust in multilateralism. The meeting comes ahead of the Trust Summit scheduled for October 21–23.
Eziakonwa said Africa’s demand for a more equitable international order must be matched by changes in how global institutions make decisions. She also challenged African governments to ensure that they hold external partners to account while meeting their own obligations to citizens.
The discussion takes place against a backdrop of questions about institutional credibility, unequal influence in international decision-making and the difference between pledges on climate finance and development assistance and the resources ultimately provided.
“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 addressed a central concern for countries seeking reform: institutions cannot easily command confidence when those affected by their decisions believe they have little say in making them.
For African countries, this includes representation in international bodies, access to development finance and influence over the rules that govern the global economy. Eziakonwa said that, alongside changes to the international system, governments across the continent must improve delivery in areas such as agriculture, education and public services.
She said declarations alone would not restore confidence. Institutions and governments need to show what they have promised, who is responsible for delivery and when progress will be reported.
“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 bringing together governments, international organisations, civil society, businesses and young people to agree on commitments and establish ways to follow their implementation.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, said rebuilding trust would require institutions to broaden participation and allow people outside government to take part in shaping decisions.
“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 have a meaningful voice in discussions about institutions that will influence their economic opportunities and political participation.
Deborah Ndanu Nzomo, secretary-general of Kenya Model United Nations, said trust could not be demanded from young people unless institutions demonstrated that they believed in their ability to contribute.
“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 is expected to consider a Nairobi Statement on Global Trust, a summit report, a Trust Barometer dashboard, a joint task force to track implementation and a report on Africa’s trust landscape.
The proposed measures will be judged by their ability to make commitments visible and progress independently assessable. Governments and institutions will need to disclose results and accept scrutiny when promises are not fulfilled.
For Africa, the debate is about more than restoring confidence in individual organisations. It is also about gaining influence over international cooperation and ensuring that African governments remain accountable to the people they represent.
