Biden Praises Ruto’s Willingness to Lead UN Security Support Mission

President William Ruto has received praise for his willingness to lead a security support mission backed by the United Nations.

During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden urged countries to prioritize peace and prevent conflicts through global cooperation and unity. He emphasized the need for the United Nations to find new ways to achieve breakthroughs in tackling major crises such as climate change, public health, and food security while standing firm against international aggression, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Biden expressed his support for Ukraine's diplomatic resolution efforts and affirmed that Russia bears responsibility for the ongoing war.

“I thank Kenya’s President William Ruto for his willingness to serve as lead nation of UN-backed security mission. I call on security councils to authorise the mission now since the people cannot wait any longer,” he said.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will make an appearance at the assembly ahead of a meeting with President Biden at the White House. According to Rebelo de Sousa, Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion is a global struggle. During the General Debate, over 140 world leaders are anticipated to address the assembly to discuss pressing world issues. The highly-awaited event will grant leaders 15 minutes to address international matters of importance.

On Thursday, President Ruto will deliver a speech and participate in several high-level meetings and dialogues concerning sustainable development goals, development funding, and climate action. The SDG Summit comes as the midpoint towards the implementation of the Goals for 2030. The event agenda includes discussions on preventing pandemics and building a pandemic-resilient future for everyone. The Pandemic Action Network will conduct interactive sessions where former heads of state and government officials will be in attendance alongside other stakeholders. The goal of the interactive sessions will be to set an action plan that aims to achieve pandemic resilience by 2024.

The forthcoming UN General Assembly will focus on notable health issues including pharmaceutical monopolies, commercialization of healthcare, and guaranteeing health rights in the future. Additionally, a dedicated conference is under consideration to explore pandemic prevention, preparedness, and responses with the purpose of promoting inclusion by taking governance and accountability measures. Discussions will also be held to discuss universal healthcare coverage. Finally, on Friday, the delegates will review the progress made towards achieving the TB targets set out in the 2018 Political Declaration.