Breaking down boundaries and restoring equity in international improvement ought to be the aim of the Third UN Convention on Landlocked Creating Nations, Secretary-Common António Guterres mentioned at its opening in Awaza, Turkmenistan, on Tuesday.
Urging international leaders to rethink improvement for landlocked nations, the UN chief declared: “We collect in the present day to reaffirm a elementary reality: geography ought to by no means outline future.”
Based on the UN Improvement Programme, of the 32 landlocked creating nations (LLDCs) worldwide, 16 are in Africa, 10 in Asia, 4 in Europe, and two in Latin America. Collectively, they’re residence to over 500 million folks.
Commerce boundaries, debt misery, and deep inequality
Mr. Guterres outlined the “daunting challenges” LLDCs proceed to face – steep boundaries to commerce, excessive transport prices, and restricted entry to international markets. He warned that the debt burden of those nations has reached “harmful and unsustainable ranges.”
Though LLDCs account for seven per cent of the world’s inhabitants, they symbolize simply over one p.c of world financial output and commerce. “This can be a stark instance of deep inequalities that perpetuate marginalization,” mentioned the Secretary-Common, attributing this to “an unfair international financial and monetary structure that doesn’t replicate the realities of in the present day’s interconnected world”, in addition to to the legacy of colonialism.
Decade of ambition: the Awaza Programme of Motion
The duty earlier than the convention, generally known as LLDC3 and working in Awaza by means of Friday, is to seek out options to those challenges.
“LLDC3 is about launching a brand new decade of ambition – by means of the Awaza Programme of Motion and its deliverables – and totally unlocking the event potential of landlocked creating nations,” mentioned Mr. Guterres.
Adopted by the UN Common Meeting in December 2024, that motion plan represents a renewed and strengthened international dedication to help LLDCs’ improvement aspirations.
4 priorities for progress
The Secretary-Common outlined 4 key priorities:
Speed up Financial Diversification & Digital Transformation· Spend money on value-added industries, native innovation, and inclusive progress.· Bridge the digital divide to unlock AI, e-commerce, and sensible logistics. Strengthen Commerce, Transit & Regional Connectivity· Improve infrastructure and simplify cross-border procedures.· Combine LLDCs into international worth chains and reform commerce methods. Advance Local weather Motion & Resilience· Double adaptation finance and construct climate-resilient infrastructure.· Assist LLDCs in inexperienced transitions with expertise and partnerships. Mobilize Financing & Partnerships· Reform international monetary methods to make sure truthful, accessible funding.· Scale concessional finance and unlock local weather funding at velocity.
“The success of landlocked creating nations is important to the success of the 2030 Agenda,” Mr. Guterres careworn.
“We now have the data, and we’ve the instruments … Collectively, we are able to remodel geography from a barrier to a bridge – connecting not simply markets, however the peoples and cultures that give which means to improvement.”
Talking to reporters later, Mr. Guterres emphasised that the convention displays a brand new period of cooperation taking form throughout Central Asia – one grounded in mutual belief, shared priorities, and rising regional solidarity.
“At a time when multilateral cooperation is being examined, this spirit of partnership is extra important than ever,” he mentioned.
Regional challenges, international solidarity
The session opened with a welcome from Turkmenistan’s President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who highlighted nationwide initiatives to strengthen worldwide cooperation in healthcare, local weather motion, and environmental safety.
He additionally drew consideration to regional challenges such because the drying of the Aral Sea and falling water ranges within the Caspian Sea, which is the world’s largest enclosed physique of water and the setting for the Third UN LLDC Convention.
In his remarks, UN Common Meeting President Philemon Yang famous the “quickly approaching deadline for the 2030 Agenda” and known as for decisive motion and a renewed dedication to multilateralism and foundational values.
He emphasised that the three pillars of the A constitution – peace, improvement, and human dignity – should stay on the coronary heart of all efforts, and that actions should replicate the promise to go away nobody behind.
Noting LLDCs’ vulnerability to local weather change and structural challenges, Mr. Yang mentioned these nations “mustn’t ever lack entry to alternative, prosperity, or hope,” and known as for worldwide solidarity, infrastructure funding, and the sensible realization of freedom of transit.
He additionally introduced that the Common Meeting had proclaimed 6 August because the Worldwide Day of Consciousness on Landlocked Creating Nations, to be noticed yearly.
“The Common Meeting will proceed to function a worldwide platform in help of those nations,” he mentioned, emphasizing the significance of monitoring the Awaza Programme of Motion and getting ready for its high-level assessment in 2029.
Turning vulnerability into alternative
Additionally addressing the opening session, Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Financial and Social Councilmentioned LLDC3 is “a pivotal second” for the 32 landlocked nations striving to beat structural boundaries to improvement.
Join free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the newest in African information delivered straight to your inbox
Success!
Virtually completed…
We have to affirm your electronic mail handle.
To finish the method, please comply with the directions within the electronic mail we simply despatched you.
Error!
There was an issue processing your submission. Please attempt once more later.
Hailing from Nepal, which is each landlocked and least developed, he emphasised that the Awaza Programme of Motion should function a “daring, formidable, actionable, and future-oriented blueprint” to show vulnerability into alternative for over 570 million folks.
Mr. Thapa underscored the urgency of addressing the “rising complexity, scale and urgency” of challenges going through LLDCs, together with debt misery, local weather impacts, and infrastructure gaps. Mr. Thapa urged the creation of an infrastructure funding facility for LLDCs, together with scaled-up local weather finance, elevated concessional assets, and accelerated expertise switch.
He additionally careworn the significance of regional cooperation and sustainable transport, praised Turkmenistan’s management, and reaffirmed ECOSOC’s dedication to advancing the Awaza Programme of Motion – pledging to combine LLDC priorities equivalent to meals safety, youth empowerment, and local weather resilience throughout all ECOSOC discussions and processes.
LLDC3 continues tomorrow, Wednesday 6 August, with roundtables and occasions on a spread of matters, together with connectivity and transport, South-South cooperation, youth engagement and extra. Discover all our protection right here.
