Nairobi - Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta has challenged international organisations to foster better partnerships with African nations in order to enable them achieve their development agenda.
Kenyatta said multilateral agencies, including the United Nations organisations, had to work with national governments and local civil societies for them to get solutions to challenges facing the continent.
The President, who spoke during the second day of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), also called for a reformed United Nations to make it more effective.
He said the UN would be more successful in solving conflicts if it worked through national governments and leaders to resolve disputes arising in respective regions of the globe.
“The UN spends billions of dollars on peace keeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan, but after spending all these billions what impact do they have?,” he asked.
The President also urged the international community not to turn its back on globalisation.
Kenyatta said it was unfortunate to note that when Africa was now opening up and becoming more transparent and accountable, the rest of the world
which had benefited from globalisation, was now retreating. He said Africa was now investing in infrastructure and engaging civil society to participate in development programmes.
“Let us move from excuses and blame game to a position where we now should partner. The most amazing thing is that as Africa moves we see the rest of the world retreating,” said the President.
Kenyatta reiterated that the UN should institute reforms so as to make it a more inclusive organisation.
He said the global community had to translate goals into actual objectives so as to meet the real demands of the people.
African News Agency