NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 23 — The inaugural Trust Summit has adopted a 29-point action plan proposing a global financing facility at the United Nations to help rebuild public confidence in institutions, alongside reforms aimed at making global governance more accountable, inclusive and responsive to citizens.
The Nairobi Call to Action on Global Trust, adopted on Friday after three days of deliberations, also proposes a Coalition on Global Trust and a Nairobi Trust Council to drive implementation, with the summit’s organisers warning that rebuilding confidence will depend on measurable results rather than declarations.
The proposals emerged from the October 21–23 summit, which brought together government representatives, international organisations, business leaders, civil society, academics, technology experts, media and young people to address declining trust and its implications for global stability and prosperity.
Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’Oei said the commitments would need to translate into tangible outcomes for citizens, with plans to develop an implementation framework and extend public engagement to counties.
“Trust is a public good that must be deliberately nurtured, financed and strengthened. The true measure of this Summit will be the commitments we translate into tangible outcomes for our citizens,” he said.
Financing trust-building initiatives
The proposed Global Trust Facility would be established at the United Nations as a voluntary financing mechanism supported by state and non-state contributors over an initial four-year period.
It would be administered by the United Nations Development Programme, subject to further development and implementation.
Potential areas of support include national accreditation bodies, regulatory trust indices, data protection, cybersecurity authorities and judicial cooperation mechanisms.
The proposal reflects the summit’s position that trust is not sustained by public messaging alone, but by institutions that demonstrate accountability, deliver on commitments and protect the public interest.
The other proposed mechanisms are the Coalition on Global Trust, an open platform for governments and non-state actors to share knowledge and coordinate initiatives, and the Nairobi Trust Council, which Kenya would host.
The council is envisaged as a body bringing together prominent figures from the public, private and philanthropic sectors to review progress and encourage accountability.
The summit secretariat will develop a Framework for Action incorporating monitoring, tracking and reporting arrangements, including biennial reviews.
The Call to Action also encourages international organisations, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, to undertake a biennial study on the economic costs of distrust.
Trust Summit Chief Executive Officer Awel Uwihanganye said the agreement marked a shift from discussing the problem to pursuing practical solutions.
“The Nairobi Call to Action moves the world from diagnosing the trust deficit to doing something about it. Trust is a global public good, and no institution, sector or country can rebuild it alone,” he said.
Four priorities for rebuilding trust
The 29-point framework identifies four broad priorities: restoring trust in public institutions, reforming multilateral institutions, strengthening trust in the digital age, and advancing inclusion and belonging.
On public institutions, the agreement proposes an annual Regulatory Trust Index at national, regional and global levels to assess public confidence in regulatory bodies and identify areas requiring reform.
It also calls for stronger regulatory cooperation and mutual recognition through regional frameworks, including the East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area, to reduce unnecessary compliance costs arising from fragmented regulatory systems.
Subnational peer-review mechanisms are proposed as another way to strengthen accountability and improve public confidence.
On global governance, the Call to Action urges reforms to multilateral institutions and the international financial architecture to make them more representative, transparent and accountable.
Its proposals include a review conference on the United Nations Charter under Article 109, stronger global health governance, equitable access to medical countermeasures and improved coordination among regional and continental organisations working to prevent and resolve conflicts.
The framework also calls for climate commitments to be backed by predictable financing, technology transfer and capacity building, particularly for countries facing disproportionate climate risks.
Digital governance and inclusion
The summit identified artificial intelligence, digital platforms and synthetic content as emerging challenges to public trust, calling for faster implementation of the Global Digital Compact and stronger international cooperation on AI governance.
The Call to Action advocates meaningful African participation in global digital governance, greater transparency around platform algorithms and synthetic content, and stronger protections for independent journalism and scientific integrity.
On inclusion, it calls for children, young people, women, persons with disabilities, displaced persons and excluded communities to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives.
It also proposes expanding access to employment, entrepreneurship and finance for young people, while recognising sport, culture and the creative economy as tools for strengthening social cohesion.
Participants emphasised Africa’s role as an equal partner in shaping global governance, financial cooperation, digital inclusion and access to global public goods.
With approximately 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population under the age of 30, the agreement says young people should be treated not merely as beneficiaries of policy but as contributors to institutional reform, economic development and international cooperation.
Implementation to determine impact
Sing’Oei said the next phase would include public engagement campaigns in counties, allowing regulators and public institutions to explain their decisions, demonstrate accountability and show citizens how they protect the public interest.
The summit also plans to extend its Trust Dialogues to other countries, while the main summit is expected to convene every two years.
Uwihanganye invited governments, businesses, communities and young people to support the proposed Coalition on Global Trust and advance the Nairobi Call to Action.
The adoption of the framework marks the beginning of an implementation process. Its impact will depend on whether governments, international organisations, businesses, civil society and communities commit the resources and undertake the reforms needed to deliver measurable results.
The Trust Summit: Nairobi Dialogue on Global Trust was held from October 21 to 23 under the theme “Weaving Trust: Binding Strands for a Stronger Global Order.”
