Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – With the United Nations at a “crossroads,” President Joseph N. Boakai has made a strong case for comprehensive reform. He calls on Africa to have a united and decisive voice in determining the organization’s future and choosing its next Secretary-General.
Speaking at a High-Level Breakfast Consultation for Heads of State and top diplomats at the Marriott Hotel in Addis Ababa, the Liberian leader cautioned that although the UN is still essential, it is finding it difficult to properly address the growing global issues of the day.
“For nearly eight decades, the UN has represented our shared hope that cooperation would prevail over conflict. Today, however, we must speak with honesty and clarity,” he added.
He said that Africa needs to choose which way it wants to see the United Nations go since it is at a turning point. Former heads of state, senior African Union Commission officials, and outgoing and incoming African Union chairs participated in the consultation, which was conducted on the sidelines of African Union activities.
President Boakai emphasized Liberia’s historic ties to the UN during the event, pointing out that it is one of just four African countries that signed the UN Charter eight decades ago. He also stressed that Africa must stop being a passive observer in reform talks and pointed out that the continent’s involvement in multilateralism is “neither recent nor peripheral.”
The Liberia leader acknowledged the growing calls for reform from various blocs around the world, including the United States calling for better accountability and management performance, emerging powers like China and India stressing equitable representation and development priorities, and European partners promoting efficiency and oversight.
Boakai noted that money alone won’t address the UN’s more fundamental flaws, even as he praised member states’ renewed pledges to pay off outstanding debts. “A UN that is underfunded cannot function effectively. Yet we must ask ourselves a deeper question: does the payment of dues resolve the underlying challenges confronting the United Nations? Though very important, I believe the answer is no,” he stated.
According to the Liberian president, the Organization faces systemic problems with how mandates are carried out, how institutions work together, and how leadership handles a more fragmented international order characterized by competition and eroding trust.
The President also praised the efforts of the African Union Committee of Ten (C10), which has spearheaded Africa’s concerted efforts to reform the UN, especially with regard to the representation and reorganization of the Security Council. Boakai’s comments come at a crucial moment as the UN gets ready to choose its next Secretary-General, a procedure he said is essential to the organization’s legitimacy and efficacy.
“This decision is not merely administrative. It will shape the tone, priorities, and credibility of the Organization at a time when global leadership is urgently needed,” Boakai said.
“The African Group in New York is currently chaired by Liberia, which organized the discussion to promote candid reflection on whether Africa has adequately defined its collective expectations for the next UN leader,” he disclosed. Among his main concerns were: Should there still be an informal regional rotation in the nomination of the Secretary-General? Can a leader pursuing mandate renewal spearhead radical change? And what kind of leadership is needed to rebuild trust in multilateralism?
“Africa must not be a peripheral participant or passive observer in this process. As a continent that represents more than a quarter of UN member states and bears a disproportionate share of global challenges, Africa has both the responsibility and the right to articulate its expectations,” Boakai declared.
Boakai made a final plea, asking African countries to speak with cohesion and strategic clarity when determining the multilateral system’s future. “The future of the United Nations will be shaped by those who choose to lead with clarity and courage. Africa must be among them.”
Ahead of the Secretary-General’s appointment, the speech places Liberia at the forefront of developing diplomatic talks, indicating Africa’s intention to move from the margins to the main table in deciding the UN’s future.
Photo credit: Executive Mansion
