Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney. (World Economic Forum)
At the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2026, Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, offered a blunt assessment of global governance, describing what he termed a ‘middle-power revolt’ against ‘performative multilateralism’. He questioned the legitimacy of the so-called ‘rules-based order’, arguing that major powers routinely exempt themselves from global rules, while middle powers comply only when it suits their interests, leaving large parts of the world structurally disadvantaged.
Carney warned that economic interdependence has given way to economic nationalism, with tariffs, finance, supply chains and technology increasingly deployed as instruments of coercion. This shift, he argued, has hollowed out institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization, both of which now face existential threats. Canada, he suggested, can no longer rely on the protections it once assumed these systems provided.
In response, Ottawa is advancing what Carney calls ‘value-based realism’. This approach prioritises the strengthening of domestic capabilities—industrial policy, defence, critical minerals management and technological development—while building flexible, interest-driven coalitions. Middle powers, he contends, should not wait for consensus among great powers or comprehensive UN reform before acting.
This pragmatic, even pessimistic, assessment contrasts with the outlook of successive UN secretaries-general, who have consistently argued that global challenges demand a reformed, inclusive and modernised multilateral system. Ghana’s Kofi Annan championed universal multilateralism through initiatives such as In Larger Freedom, proposals for UN Security Council reform, and the creation of new bodies such as the Human Rights Council.
His successor, South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon, continued efforts to strengthen the UN’s effectiveness, emphasising prevention, sustainability and human rights. The current secretary-general, António Guterres of Portugal, remains committed to ‘networked multilateralism’, promoting digital cooperation, global solidarity and institutional reform, while insisting that solutions still lie within an enhanced UN framework.
Resistance by major powers to meaningful UN reform, however, has remained remarkably consistent. In this respect, Carney’s analysis converges with that of Annan, Ban and Guterres: structural barriers continue to block change, particularly because reform of the UN Security Council requires the Permanent Five—the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain—to dilute their own power, an outcome they are unlikely to accept. Great powers prefer non-binding, flexible arrangements that preserve strategic autonomy. Yet the relative peace, economic growth and stability of the post-1945 era underscore the enduring importance of multilateralism and international law as foundations of collective progress.
UN leaders maintain that the system remains reformable. They have advanced, and continue to advance, proposals aimed at strengthening its legitimacy and effectiveness. In the interests of humanity and shared ethical values, they argue, sustained advocacy for substantive reform is essential to address emerging global challenges and promote fairness and inclusion.
Abandoning the existing system without implementing credible reforms risks accelerating the decline of international institutions, weakening multilateral cooperation and deepening global inequality. Developing countries, in particular, face the danger of further marginalisation. Nonetheless, coalitions of middle powers retain the capacity to drive meaningful reform and facilitate constructive negotiation within the UN—provided they resist replicating the major powers’ narrow, self-interested approach to multilateral engagement.
The adoption of a ‘Canada model’ carries significant implications for Africa. The continent cannot depend on the goodwill of major powers or outdated global arrangements to advance its interests. Instead, African states must strengthen resilience through collective action, leveraging platforms such as the African Union (AU), the G20 and the Ezulwini Consensus on UN Security Council reform. By prioritising strategic interests—critical minerals, climate finance, digital standards, maritime security and food security—Africa can help shape global norms and protect its influence in debates over UN reform. The essential first step is recognising the urgency of the moment and accelerating meaningful regional integration.
Viewed through the lens of Carney’s Davos intervention, strategic autonomy should be a central objective for Africa, pursued through regional integration and targeted industrial policy. This includes fully utilising the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and strengthening regional blocs as operational centres, in line with the thinking of scholars such as the late Nigerian technocrat Adebayo Adedeji. Such an approach enables progress without requiring simultaneous consensus among all 54 African states, while remaining aligned with broader continental goals. It mirrors Carney’s own call to balance self-reliance with cooperative engagement.
Africa must also press for substantive reform of the global financial architecture, including improved debt mechanisms, more accessible financing, stronger representation in international tax frameworks and climate-related financial restructuring. These efforts would complement and reinforce initiatives already underway within the UN and other multilateral institutions.
Digital governance represents another critical arena. By engaging actively in processes such as the Global Digital Compact, Africa can shape norms around artificial intelligence, data governance and public digital infrastructure. Strategic partnerships with other middle powers could further strengthen efforts to reform global governance and financing arrangements.
Africa’s most viable path forward is a dual-track strategy: actively engaging in multilateral reform debates with concrete proposals, while simultaneously reinforcing continental agency and capacity.
Carney’s message ultimately calls for reimagination. Africa should seize this transitional moment to consolidate its collective power. If multilateral institutions continue to erode and ‘minilateral’ arrangements proliferate, the continent risks deeper marginalisation. With foresight and decisive action, however, Africa can emerge as a central force in shaping a fairer and more inclusive global order—by deepening integration, advancing industrialisation and digital sovereignty, and using both the AU and flexible partnerships to revitalise multilateralism.