RUTO EXTOLS BOTTOM UP IN NEW YORK, WARNS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

President Ruto has called upon global leaders to embrace the bottom up economic model as one of the strategies to invigorate the world from the economic crises brought about by Covid-19 pandemic.

In his debut address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as a head of state on Wednesday, Ruto noted that the Covid-19 exposed stark justice and solidarity deficits in the face of existential crisis and urged world leaders to work towards the democratisation of global governance and a re-imagined multilateralism that is inclusive and works for the good of all.

“It is important to reflect on these matters as we do our best to get our people, enterprises, and industries back on their feet so that the engine of development can power our societies towards prosperity that actually leaves no one behind,” said Dr. Ruto.

The president lauded the global motto ‘Building Back Better’ as a call to incorporate the lessons learnt during the pandemic into doing more and in a better way to recover from the shock of the pandemic suggesting that the world has a better opportunity to abide to the clarion call by “augmenting it, in word and in deed, with an additional “B”: Building Back Better, from the Bottom.”

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In extolling the bottom up economic model, President Ruto described it as a strategy of including the marginalised working majority who he termed as ‘hustlers’ in the economic mainstream describing them as an untapped resource that could drive growth and help create a more inclusive world order.

“The bottom billion relentlessly wage their daily battle for survival in a crowded arena characterised by scarcity of opportunity and generally precarious existence. The ingenuity, optimism, resilience, and energy in this ever-bustling bottom is sometimes called hustling. Invisible to policymakers and beyond the reach of many public services, these hustlers take nothing for granted, surviving overwhelming odds, and frequently succeeding greatly,” pointed out the president.

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President Ruto however remarked that the world faces serious impediments towards sustainable development from the interlocking challenges of conflicts, triple planetary crises, and the global food crisis.

“In the Horn of Africa region, severe drought, disruption of supply chains in the region and beyond due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict have left us food insecure.”

In his address, Dr. Ruto observed that the Horn Africa is facing the worst drought in 40 years that has left millions in the severity of starvation.

He called for solidarity and oneness of action by global leaders in addressing climate change.

“I call on the member states and all relevant stakeholders to demonstrate strong political will and showcase effective cooperation by supporting the most affected countries financially, as well as through sharing land restoration and climate adaptation technologies. It is through collaborations to expand inclusion that we can attain a new paradigm in multilateralism.” Remarked Dr. Ruto.

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Dr. Ruto also called upon the leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York to use every opportunity to expedite efforts in confronting the triple planetary crisis. 

“We cannot afford to waste another moment debating the merits of doing something vis-a-vis doing nothing. It will soon be too late to reverse the course of events, and then, even the best possible interventions will not suffice.”

Although Africa, which has a small industrial base, has contributed little to climate change, the continent has already endured some of its worst effects, as extreme weather events take a devastating toll on impoverished countries.