Biden calls for UN reform to tackle East African instability

By Robert Mutasi 

U.S. President Joe Biden underlined that reform of the UN Security Council was overdue.

His dream is to make it representative of the facts of the modern world, give a greater voice to new actors who can bring new perspectives to bear since some regions of the world-like East Africa-have known their share of conflicts and humanitarian crises.

The air in the conference hall was thick as Biden detailed a plan to cut off the proliferation of deadly weapons and call for stabilization efforts from East Africa to Haiti-most notably Kenya.

The soft hum of the busy streets outside stood out in stark contrast to the tranquility inside the UN chambers as he addressed the president.

Biden's voice carried not just the weight of U.S. but also global expectations. 

He repeated the UN core mission of making peace, saying, "It's time for the UN to return to its roots, to the job of brokering deals that end wars and alleviate human suffering."

These words by Biden came across with much meaning in East Africa. While there have been long-standing conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia, the echoes of war remain virulent even in several rural villages, with families continuing to be displaced even to this day.

It is a Biden vision of UN-led missions, in partnership with residents of countries in turmoil, working hand in glove for stability and peace.

Although regarded as a beacon of stability in this anarchically disrupted region, Kenya is still replete with alarm signals where issues of electoral violence and terrorism impede national cohesion. 

While Kenya is the hub for East African diplomacy, it remains the focus of these efforts of stabilization.

Biden pressed that if as much as humanitarian efforts in Haiti, the world must not turn its back on the fragile but crucial peacekeeping missions across East Africa, where many hope the fresh scent of rain on red soil might soon replace the acrid smell of gunfire and destruction.

Through reform, the UN hopes it will be better equipped to tackle threats looming over the region-from terrorism to political instability-and provide a platform for peace.