Leaders to blame for global trust deficit and declining multilateralism

World leaders face growing mistrust and declining international cooperation. [AI-generated]

There is immense loss of trust everywhere emanating from the irresponsibility of those entrusted with power. The violations indicate breakdowns in trust and a sense of mutual dependence. They create a ‘government’ to ensure that all stick to the general agreement because there are always mischievous people who deliberately do the wrong thing. Serious problems arise when those who get into government are mischievous and not committed to being civil to everyone. Mischievous leaders have penetrated governments and organisations so much that people have lost trust in governments everywhere.

This general loss of trust was the subject of a United Nations symposium in Nairobi, dubbed ‘Trust Summit’. Participants were in anguish over how to restore the disappeared trust at the international and national levels. With media personality Julie Gichuru guiding the discussion, the main concern was overcoming devastating distrust at the country and global levels. Korir Singo’ei, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry PS, is developing into a diplomatic firefighter on many fronts, as he did during Kenya’s anti-Burundi xenophobic absurdity. He opened the symposium by admitting that there was a serious trust deficit everywhere. He had escorted the UN Deputy Secretary-General and Special Advisor for Africa, Ahuna Eziakwonkwa, to talk about ‘Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Multilateralism’.