Urging world leaders to rethink growth for landlocked nations, the UN chief declared: “We collect as we speak to reaffirm a elementary fact: geography ought to by no means outline future.”
Based on the UN Improvement Programme, of the 32 landlocked growing international locations (LLDCs) worldwide, 16 are in Africa, 10 in Asia, 4 in Europe, and two in Latin America. Collectively, they’re house to over 500 million folks.
Commerce obstacles, debt misery, and deep inequality
Mr. Guterres outlined the “daunting challenges” LLDCs proceed to face – steep obstacles to commerce, excessive transport prices, and restricted entry to world markets. He warned that the debt burden of those international locations has reached “harmful and unsustainable ranges.”
Though LLDCs account for seven per cent of the world’s inhabitants, they symbolize simply over one % of worldwide financial output and commerce. “This can be a stark instance of deep inequalities that perpetuate marginalization,” stated the Secretary-Common, attributing this to “an unfair world financial and monetary structure that doesn’t replicate the realities of as we speak’s interconnected world”, in addition to to the legacy of colonialism.
4 priorities for progress
UN Secretary-Common Guterres requires motion:
- Financial Diversification and Digital Transformation:
- Spend money on value-added industries, native innovation, and inclusive development
- Bridge the digital divide to unlock AI, e-commerce, and good logistics
- Commerce, Transit and Regional Connectivity:
- Improve infrastructure and simplify cross-border procedures
- Combine LLDCs into world worth chains and reform commerce techniques
- Local weather Motion and Resilience:
- Double adaptation finance and construct climate-resilient infrastructure
- Assist LLDCs in inexperienced transitions with know-how and partnerships
- Financing and Partnerships:
- Reform world monetary techniques to make sure honest, accessible funding
- Scale concessional finance and unlock local weather funding at velocity
Decade of ambition: the Awaza Programme of Motion
The duty earlier than the convention, often known as LLDC3 and working in Awaza via Friday, is to seek out options to those challenges.
“LLDC3 is about launching a brand new decade of ambition – via the Awaza Programme of Motion and its deliverables – and totally unlocking the event potential of landlocked growing international locations,” stated Mr. Guterres.
Adopted by the UN Common Meeting in December 2024, that motion plan represents a renewed and strengthened world dedication to help LLDCs’ growth aspirations.
A hit for all
“The success of landlocked growing international locations is important to the success of the 2030 Agenda,” Mr. Guterres harassed.
“Now we have the information, and we’ve got the instruments … Collectively, we are able to rework geography from a barrier to a bridge – connecting not simply markets, however the peoples and cultures that give that means to growth.”
Chatting with 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 stated.
Regional challenges, world 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 Philémon 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 UN Constitution – peace, growth, 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 stated these international locations “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 Growing International locations, to be noticed yearly.
“The Common Meeting will proceed to function a worldwide platform in help of those international locations,” he stated, emphasizing the significance of monitoring the Awaza Programme of Motion and making ready for its high-level evaluation in 2029.
Turning vulnerability into alternative
Additionally addressing the opening session, Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Financial and Social Council, stated LLDC3 is “a pivotal second” for the 32 landlocked nations striving to beat structural obstacles to growth.
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 sources, and accelerated know-how switch.
He additionally harassed 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 variety of matters, together with connectivity and transport, South-South cooperation, youth engagement and extra. Discover all our protection right here.
