The Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) will take place on 18 to 21 June in Kigali, Rwanda. This Conference will address the unique challenges of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) to ensure that the next decade drives transformative change and real progress for the lives of more than 570 million people living in these 32 countries.
Locked out of the global marketplace and without the means to develop adequate transport and logistics infrastructure, the LLDCs face significant challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Without direct access to coastal ports, landlocked developing countries must rely on transit countries to connect them with international markets. This can lead to increased transportation costs, delays in the movement of goods, and susceptibility to political and economic instability in transit countries. On average, LLDCs pay more than double what the transit countries (countries through which exports flow) incur in transport costs and take a longer time to send and receive merchandise from overseas markets. The high transport costs erode LLDCs’ competitive edge, discourage investors, reduce economic growth. Half of the LLDCs are also facing moderate to severe food insecurity.
Organised by UN-OHRLLS, this major Conference offers an opportunity to explore innovative solutions, forge meaningful partnerships and increase investment to advance sustainable development and unlock the potential of this group of countries. This key moment calls for bold, collective action to tackle pressing challenges to ensure no one is left behind, a cornerstone of the Summit of the Future taking place on 22-23 September 2024.
LLDC3 will address five priority areas: transit transport and connectivity; structural transformation and science, technology and innovation (STI); trade, trade facilitation, value chain and regional integration; climate change and energy transition; means of implementation.
The Conference will culminate in the adoption of a new 10-year Programme of Action for the LLDCs to replace the Vienna Programme of Action, adopted in 2014. In addition to opening and closing sessions, there will be more than six plenary meetings and five thematic roundtables. There will also be side events, exhibitions, and cultural displays.
Communications Assets
- Website: https://www.un.org/landlocked
- LLDC3 Trello Board (populated with branding, press material and social media content). Please note that additional content will continue to be added ahead of and during the Conference.
- Follow live on UN WebTV
- Main Hashtags: #Landlocked, #LLDC3 and #LockedOut
///UN Turkmenistan