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‘Equality ends at the doors of the Security Council’: what Ruto told the UN General Assembly.
President William Ruto addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, 23 September. Here is what he said, in brief.
A seat at the table
Africa's 54 countries make up more than a quarter of the UN's members, but none has a permanent seat on the Security Council. "The equality proclaimed in this assembly ends at the doors of the Security Council," Ruto said. Talks on reforming the council have gone on for 17 years without a result.
Wars
He said 65 armed conflicts involving states were recorded last year, including 13 full-scale wars, and close to 250,000 people were killed in organised violence.
Debt
Global public debt reached $102 trillion in 2024.
46 developing countries now spend more on interest than on education and health combined.
Ruto said bias in credit ratings costs African countries about $75 billion, and that developing countries borrow at two to four times the rates rich countries pay.
"Capital must price risk. It must not price prejudice," he said.
Kenya's pitch
He told the assembly about plans for a $16 billion refinery in Lamu that would process 700,000 barrels of oil a day. Back home, reported on Monday that 133 Lamu residents have gone to court over land earmarked for the project.
Why it matters
Money spent on loan interest is money not spent on clinics, schools and roads. Cheaper borrowing is one of the few things at the UN that would show up in a Kenyan budget.
Sources: UN News,.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
President William Ruto addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, 23 September. Here is what he said, in brief.
A seat at the table
Africa’s 54 countries make up more than a quarter of the UN’s members, but none has a permanent seat on the Security Council. “The equality proclaimed in this assembly ends at the doors of the Security Council,” Ruto said. Talks on reforming the council have gone on for 17 years without a result.
Wars
He said 65 armed conflicts involving states were recorded last year, including 13 full-scale wars, and close to 250,000 people were killed in organised violence.
Debt
Global public debt reached $102 trillion in 2024.
46 developing countries now spend more on interest than on education and health combined.
Ruto said bias in credit ratings costs African countries about $75 billion, and that developing countries borrow at two to four times the rates rich countries pay.
“Capital must price risk. It must not price prejudice,” he said.
Kenya’s pitch
He told the assembly about plans for a $16 billion refinery in Lamu that would process 700,000 barrels of oil a day. Back home, Kenyans.co.ke reported on Monday that 133 Lamu residents have gone to court over land earmarked for the project.
Why it matters
Money spent on loan interest is money not spent on clinics, schools and roads. Cheaper borrowing is one of the few things at the UN that would show up in a Kenyan budget.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
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