Kenya’s President William Ruto has called on the United States to reconsider its opposition to a key document outlining global commitments to reform development finance, seeing as a boost to funding for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

A close ally of the US, particularly during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, Dr Ruto made the appeal during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), convened by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Seville, Spain, on Monday.

His remarks directly challenged Washington’s hardline stance on the outcome document.

Dr Ruto endorsed the Seville Outcome Document, formally known as the Compromiso de Sevilla, describing it as “a renewed, if not hard-won, commitment to multilateralism and equitable development.” He praised the agreement as a major win for Africa, even as the US distanced itself from its contents.“I urge the United States to reconsider its position and call on other member States with reservations on parts of this consensus to fully support the outcome document,” Dr Ruto told the forum.

The Seville document, which will be signed by heads of State and government at the close of the once-a-decade FfD4 summit, sets out a new global financing framework centred on domestic resource mobilisation, private capital, development cooperation, trade, debt sustainability and tax transparency.

It also calls for urgent action on climate-linked debt and financing, including the use of debt-for-nature swaps, disaster-related debt pauses, and green levies to mobilise funds for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Read: Blueprint for global financial architecture that works for Africa“I also welcome the focus on debt, liquidity and the cost of capital. There is now consensus on the need for a development-oriented sovereign debt architecture, where public debt is an instrument for development, not a trap,” Dr Ruto said.

The US, which skipped the Seville summit for the first time, had earlier withdrawn from the negotiations over the document’s wording, dismissing the text as “overprescriptive.”Last month, Jonathan Shrier, the acting US representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, said that while America supports international cooperation and long-term development, the draft “crosses many of our red lines”.

Washington objected to the document’s proposals to give the UN a formal role in sovereign debt restructuring—a task it believes should remain with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, where it holds significant influence. The US also opposed references to “climate,” “gender equality,” and “sustainability,” arguing that such language was not aligned with its domestic priorities.

In contrast, President Ruto fully embraced the document’s core provisions, framing them as critical to Africa’s economic transformation.“We finally have a consensus on reforming the international financial architecture. This outcome document now calls for strengthening global economic governance by enhancing the voice and representation of developing countries in international financial institutions,” he said.

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