Finland backs President Ruto's call for UN Security Council reform

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has backed Kenya’s push for changes at the United Nations Security Council, saying countries in the Global South must have a bigger say in global decision-making.

He said Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are among the African countries best placed to help shape a new world order.

"It is the Global South that will decide how the new world order will look like. In Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa will play a key role, in Asia, India, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia will take up that task, which will also see Argentina, Brazil and Mexico fill that role for Latin America," Stubb said.

He was speaking during a public lecture at the University of Nairobi, where he also marked the completion of his new book, The Triangle of Power – Rebalancing the New World Order.

He praised President William Ruto’s efforts to push for African representation at the UN Security Council, saying the Global South will rise as an economic force in the coming years.

Stubb said countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America are now stepping forward after being left out of global structures set up after World War II.

He called for reform of institutions like the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, saying they must reflect today’s global realities.

"The UN, which is the most important and impactful institution in the world, must change its power structures. It is unacceptable to have the UN Security Council remain as it is; created in the image of the victors of World War II. More countries must be represented at the Security Council," he said.

Stubb, who is also a scholar in international relations and a former prime minister, said the Global South has a unique geopolitical position.

He explained that while the West is led by the United States and the East by China and Russia, countries in the Global South have more room to choose how they align themselves.

"The Global South has the power to push for multipolar transactional deals or multilateralism, and for the latter to work, the multilateral institutions have to change," he said.

He added that growing populations in Africa and Asia will play a big role in global economics, with Africa expected to reach four billion people and Asia five billion by the end of the century.

Despite these numbers, Stubb said countries must avoid being caught in power struggles between global rivals.

"I believe the solution is having a multi-vectoral foreign policy where states cooperate with many different countries and luckily, the Global South has the agency and power to make that decision. A country can have Russia, the US and China in their corner to help it in infrastructure projects and this is a plus," he said.

He warned that unless global leaders from all sides reflect on the direction the world is taking, more instability could follow.