By Stephen N. Sonpon
MONROVIA , Sept. 29 ( LINA) – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has used Liberia’s platform at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly to press for reforms in the international financial system, arguing that developing countries like Liberia need affordable financing and greater decision-making power to accelerate national development.
Addressing world leaders in New York on Thursday, President Boakai said Liberia and other developing countries are being squeezed by unsustainable debt, limited fiscal space and external economic shocks as the world approaches the final years of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The Liberian leader called for urgent structural reforms to the global financial architecture, including increased access to concessional financing, debt sustainability and predictable development resources.
He also demanded a stronger voice for developing countries in the governance of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“At its core, this is a crisis of an international financial system designed for a different era,” President Boakai said.
He argued that institutions whose decisions affect billions of people should reflect the realities of today’s global population rather than governance arrangements established decades ago.
President Boakai linked the call for international financial reform directly to his Government’s domestic development priorities under the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, which focuses on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation and Tourism.
The President said his administration is making progress in revenue administration and infrastructure development, including efforts to improve rural road connectivity between farming communities and markets.
The ARREST Agenda is the Government’s principal development framework for addressing Liberia’s infrastructure, human-capital and economic challenges.
President Boakai also placed Liberia’s climate vulnerability at the center of his appeal for greater international support.
He said Liberia contributes virtually nothing to global emissions but continues to experience the effects of climate change through coastal erosion, flooding and disruptions to agricultural activities.
He further highlighted Liberia’s role in protecting the Upper Guinean Rainforest, describing the forest as an important global carbon sink.
Against this backdrop, President Boakai called on industrialized countries to fulfill their climate-financing commitments and support mechanisms addressing loss and damage.
He said climate responsibility must be matched by climate justice.
The President also connected Liberia’s development future to investments in young people, noting that Africa has a predominantly youthful population.
He called for expanded investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, digital literacy and technical education to prepare young Africans for meaningful participation in the global digital economy.
On artificial intelligence, President Boakai urged the international community to ensure that developing countries are not left behind as consumers of technologies designed elsewhere.
He called for ethical standards and stronger international regulation of artificial intelligence, particularly where the technology is applied to warfare.
“Innovation must protect human development, not automate human destruction,” President Boakai told the Assembly.
The Liberian leader’s address comes as his administration continues to present the ARREST Agenda as the framework for transforming the country’s economy and improving basic services.
For Liberia, he said, stronger international cooperation, development financing and climate support remain critical to achieving those national objectives.