Nairobi
Saturday, 15 June, 2024
By Felix Mogaka
President William Ruto has arrived in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, to attend a high-level meeting focused on establishing peace in Ukraine.
The conference, spanning Saturday and Sunday, has drawn over 100 Heads of State and Government.
The primary agenda is to discuss Kyiv’s proposed 10-point peace plan aimed at resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
The summit is a critical effort to map out initial steps toward stability in the war-torn Eastern European nation.
President Ruto is expected to deliver remarks addressing not only the Ukraine crisis but also other global conflicts, including those in the Middle East and Africa.
In his upcoming speech, Ruto will highlight the overlooked conflicts across the African continent and their severe impact on economic development.
He will stress the importance of global attention and action to resolve these enduring issues. Prior to the Switzerland meeting, President Ruto attended the G7 2024 Summit in Apulia, Italy, which ran for three days.
The summit brought together leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
During the event, Ruto met with Pope Francis, and together they called for an urgent end to violence worldwide.
Ruto emphasized the need for global solidarity in addressing conflicts, particularly those in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We are confident that the warring groups will agree to stop the fighting and give peace a chance,” he said.
Addressing the G7 assembly, Ruto shed light on Africa’s numerous and often neglected conflicts, which have resulted in significant loss of life and displacement.
“In Sudan, hundreds of thousands have died, millions are displaced and face starvation. In the Middle East, the conflict in Gaza has claimed tens of thousands of lives, devastated the livelihoods of millions and caused global economic shockwaves,” he said.
Ruto also noted the extensive economic and humanitarian toll of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“Europe is grappling with a major conflict that has brought unthinkable carnage and widespread economic disruption,” he said.
The President highlighted the unprecedented scale of global challenges, emphasizing that only through collective international efforts can these issues be effectively managed and resolved.
“The world is finding itself in the grip of relentless global challenges of unprecedented magnitude. Only effective collective action by the international community can offer a reasonable chance of managing and overcoming these challenges,” he said.
President Ruto’s participation in both the Ukraine peace talks and the G7 Summit underscores Kenya’s active role in advocating for global peace and stability.
His engagements reflect a broader call for international cooperation to address the complex and interconnected crises affecting different regions of the world.