Talking at Monday’s Parliamentary Discussion board of the Third UN Convention on LLDCs, senior UN leaders burdened that political will, matched with nationwide legislative motion, is important if a brand new decade-long growth plan is to make an actual distinction.
There are 32 such international locations globally, dwelling to over half a billion folks. Many are additionally among the many world’s least developed, hindered by excessive transport prices, restricted entry to world markets, and heightened vulnerability to local weather impacts.
Price burden
“These challenges are persistent and structural,” mentioned Excessive Consultant Rabab Fatima who leads the workplace championing LLDCs. “They stem not simply from being landlocked however from restricted infrastructure, slender export bases, and lack of entry to finance.”
The figures, she mentioned, inform a stark story: LLDCs account for seven per cent of the world’s inhabitants however just one per cent of world GDP. Commerce prices are 30 per cent increased than for coastal states. Simply 61 per cent of LLDC populations have electrical energy entry, in comparison with 92 per cent globally — and fewer than 40 per cent are linked to the web.
“These should not simply statistics. They mirror actual human challenges,” mentioned Ms. Fatima.
UN Secretary-Common António Guterres (left) meets President Serdar Gurbangulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow of Turkmenistan, throughout his go to for the Third United Nations Convention on Landlocked Creating Nations being held in Awaza.
Be ‘champions of change’
She described the Awaza Programme of Motion as “a milestone” and “a transparent roadmap” to assist remodel structural disadvantages into alternatives. However she burdened that delivering on its targets requires motion on the nationwide degree.
“Parliaments have a decisive function,” Ms. Fatima mentioned. She urged lawmakers to align nationwide methods with the programme, safe financing, promote commerce and integration, assist good governance, and type parliamentary teams devoted to implementation.
“You might be lawmakers, you might be budget-makers — and champions of change. Your management is important to make sure that the Awaza Programme delivers tangible and lasting outcomes for the 600 million folks of LLDCs,” she informed delegates.
Foundational function
President of the UN Common Meeting Philémon Yang echoed her message, highlighting that “parliaments are important to translating world commitments into measurable nationwide progress.”
He emphasised that parliaments present the authorized framework for growth in areas like infrastructure, innovation, and commerce — and that in addition they maintain the purse strings for key sectors equivalent to training, healthcare, and local weather motion.
Addressing the urgency of environmental duty, Mr. Yang cited the July 2025 advisory opinion of the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed that local weather motion is a authorized responsibility of all states.
Stronger cooperation
“Parliaments monitor authorities efficiency and make sure the environment friendly use of public funds,” Mr. Yang mentioned. “Past coverage and budgets, they’re the bridge between the State and residents.”
He additionally referred to as for stronger inter-parliamentary cooperation — regionally and globally — to deal with the shared and particular challenges confronted by LLDCs.
Concluding, Mr. Yang reaffirmed the UN Common Meeting’s function as “the parliament of humanity,” dedicated to monitoring progress and preserving LLDCs on the worldwide growth agenda.
“Allow us to strengthen this partnership between nationwide parliaments and our world establishments,” he mentioned, “in order that we are able to ship on the promise of sustainable growth — a promise grounded in peace, prosperity, and dignity for everybody, in all places.”
