UNITED NATIONS, New York – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Thursday night told world leaders that trust in the United Nations has been broken by the uneven application of its founding principles, and called for sweeping reforms of the Security Council and the global financial system to restore it.
By Rodney D Sieh, rodney,[email protected]
Addressing the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, held under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All,” the Liberian leader said the world is facing “a lingering crisis of legitimacy and relevance that demands urgent attention.”
“Our answer to that fragmentation cannot be less multilateralism,” President Boakai declared. “It must be better multilateralism!”
‘Eighty years of patience is enough’
The President reserved his strongest words for the Security Council, noting that Africa, home to 1.5 billion people and nearly one-third of UN membership, still has no permanent seat, even though 80 percent of the Council’s mandates concern African peace and security.
“Eighty years of patience is enough. The time for structural reform is now,” he said, describing the imbalance as a “historical injustice” that “is no longer tenable.”
Reaffirming Liberia’s support for the Common African Position, President Boakai said Africa demands no fewer than two permanent seats with full rights, including the veto for as long as it exists, plus additional non-permanent seats. “Correcting this imbalance is not a favor to Africa,” he said. “It is necessary to restore the United Nations’ trust, credibility, and legitimacy.”
Security Council seat and the drug war
Speaking as a current member of the Security Council, the President highlighted threats facing West Africa, including transnational organized crime, cyber warfare and narcotics trafficking along maritime routes in the Gulf of Guinea.
He said Liberia’s Joint Security forces are “tightening the vise on transnational drug cartels,” but stressed that no nation can fight global criminal networks alone. He appealed to international partners for targeted support in coast guard surveillance, intelligence sharing and port security technology.
He also called for an immediate end to hostilities in conflict zones, unhindered humanitarian access and stronger investment in preventive diplomacy, arguing that “the cost of preventing a war pales in comparison to the cost of rebuilding a broken society.”
‘Governed by so few’
On the economy, President Boakai said developing nations are being “squeezed by unsustainable debt, shrinking fiscal space, and mounting external shocks” as the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches.
He called for structural reform of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, whose governance, he said, still reflects the world of 1945. “A financial system that decides the fate of billions cannot continue to be governed by so few,” he said.
At home, he pointed to progress under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development – focused on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism – citing gains in revenue administration and rural farm-to-market roads. He also said his administration is strengthening accountability, financial management and the fight against corruption.
Climate justice, youth and AI
The President noted that Liberia contributes virtually nothing to global emissions yet suffers coastal erosion, flooding and disrupted farming seasons, while holding 42 percent of the remaining Upper Guinean Rainforest. He urged industrialized nations to honor their climate financing pledges and put loss-and-damage mechanisms into operation.
He called for investment in STEM education and digital skills for Africa’s youth, more than 60 percent of whom are under 25, reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to equality for women and girls, and joined calls for binding rules on artificial intelligence, particularly in warfare. “Innovation must protect human development, not automate human destruction,” he said.
From San Francisco to today
Recalling that Liberia was one of only four African nations to sign the UN Charter in 1945, President Boakai presented the country’s journey from civil war to constitutional democracy as proof that “institutions can be rebuilt.”
He opened his address by congratulating Khalilur Rahman on his election as President of the 81st Session, thanking outgoing President Annalena Baerbock, and saluting Secretary-General António Guterres as he prepares to end his tenure.
“Let us leave this Assembly committed to a United Nations that not only deliberates on crises but also resolves them,” he concluded.
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