ISTANBUL

Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday called for a permanent ceasefire and “strict adherence” to international humanitarian law in Gaza, urging a “credible” political process.

“Only through such a process can the vision of a two-state solution be realized where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace, security and stability,” Ruto told the UN General Assembly in New York.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and led to famine.

Ruto said the UN faces its “deepest crisis” in credibility and capacity, with funding cuts paralyzing its operations, bureaucracy slowing its response, and the Security Council remaining “frozen.”  

‘Reforming Security Council is not a favor to Africa or to anybody’

Africa has spoken in “one voice” for two decades since the Ezulwini Consensus, demanding justice, equity and representation in the “highest organ of global governance,” he said.

In 2005, African leaders meeting in Ezulwini, Swaziland, demanded two permanent and five non-permanent seats for Africa on the UN Security Council.

“This demand, however,” Ruto said, “continues to be ignored, deferred or endlessly debated, to the detriment of both Africa and the legitimacy of the United Nations itself.”

Ruto said Africa will no longer accept being sidelined in global governance, where decisions on peace, security, and development are made without its perspective, calling the exclusion “unacceptable, unfair and grossly unjust” as well as a threat to the UN’s credibility.

“You cannot claim to be the United Nations while disregarding the voice of 54 nations. It is not possible,” he underlined.

Africa dominates the Security Council agenda, contributes major peacekeeping forces, and bears the heaviest costs of instability, Ruto said, adding that yet it remains the only continent without a permanent seat at the table where decisions about its future are made.

He called for Africa to be granted at least two permanent seats with veto power and two additional non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

“The world must understand reforming the Security Council is not a favor to Africa or to anybody. It is a necessity for the United Nations' own survival if the United Nations is to remain relevant,” the Kenyan leader added.  

Haiti’s ‘path of peace, stability, and renewal’

Highlighting Kenya’s leading role in stabilizing Haiti, Ruto called on the UN Security Council and partners to stay committed to Haiti’s “path of peace, stability, and renewal.”

More than 600 Kenyan police officers have been deployed to help address insecurity in Haiti under the multinational mission, which is now in its second year.

The mission faces significant security risks, as armed gangs continue to exert control and cause violence in major cities, including the capital, Port-au-Prince.

While initially planned to comprise 2,500 personnel, the mission has struggled to secure troop contributions from other participating nations.

It has yet to achieve significant results against the widespread insecurity, with armed gangs controlling an estimated 85% of the capital and stifling daily life through violence.