World Leaders Discuss Priority Areas for Action to Address Unique Development Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries, as Third UN Conferences Opens
AWAZA, TURKMENISTAN (5 August) — World leaders gathered on the shores of the Caspian Sea — the world’s largest inland body of water — to discuss the unique development challenges affecting countries without direct access to global oceans as the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries opened today under the theme "Driving Progress through Partnerships".
The Conference’s outcome document — the "Awaza Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024-2034 — was adopted by the General Assembly on 24 December 2024 (see Press Release GA/12671) and given its current name on 11 April 2025 (see Press Release GA/12680). It outlines a series of commitments for action across five priority areas: structural transformation and science, technology and innovation; trade, trade facilitation and regional integration; transit, transport and connectivity; enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change and disasters; and means of implementation.
"The theme of our Conference has global significance," said Serdar Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan, delivering introductory remarks as President of the Conference. It encompasses "key dimensions of international activity", he noted, including human, economic, social and environmental. Of those, he emphasized human issues, underscoring that "the State policy of Turkmenistan is focused on the people". The "lion’s share" of the national budget, he said, is devoted to providing social programmes, housing, education and health facilities. Underlining the importance of access to quality healthcare, he said: "This is a matter of paramount importance that goes far beyond national boundaries."
He, therefore, proposed an international initiative titled "Global Medicine of the Future: Solidarity and Cooperation". The recent pandemic demonstrated that mutual support on a planetary scale is "synonymous with achieving human health goals", he stressed, and this proposal, therefore, envisions the launch of mechanisms for "international medical diplomacy". He added that his country has proposed this initiative "based on clear logic", as lack of access to the sea hinders the timely delivery of medical aid, supplies and equipment. "Our country is ready to present its ideas of the practical implementation of this initiative and begin working on it with relevant UN entities," he said.
He also detailed other areas for action informed by his country’s landlocked nature, including the development of international transportation cooperation, the creation of a "global atlas" for sustainable transport activities and the use of modern technology to ensure environmental safety along transport routes. Further on the environment, he underlined the need to preserve the Caspian Sea — "we are all interested in the environmental well-being of this water body" — and to save the Aral Sea. He also noted that the General Assembly, at Turkmenistan’s initiative, declared 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust and that his country is celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of international recognition of its neutrality – both of which coincide with the UN’s eightieth anniversary.
"Peace, trust, neutrality — for us, these concepts are inextricably linked," he stressed. Also noting that those present are gathered to address the issues affecting landlocked developing countries from a position of constructiveness, equality, mutual respect and care for peoples’ present and future, he emphasized: "I am convinced that we are on the right path, and we will succeed together."
Geography Should Never Define Destiny
"Geography should never define destiny," underscored António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, next to take the floor. Yet, for the 32 landlocked developing countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, geography often limits development opportunities. "Your countries face daunting challenges," he said, noting steep barriers to trade, high transport costs, limited access to global markets, volatile international prices and debt burdens. This is the result of an "unfair global economic and financial architecture", compounded by systemic neglect, structural barriers and, in many cases, colonial legacies, he said. The Awaza Programme of Action must fully unlock the development potential of landlocked developing countries, he stressed, outlining four essential priorities for the decade ahead.
First, it is crucial to "accelerate structural transformation and economic diversification", he said, calling for investments in value-added industries, local innovation and digital transformation. The second priority is to strengthen trade, transit and regional connectivity. "When landlocked developing countries are connected, entire regions prosper," he observed. Further, from "desertification in the Sahel to glacial retreat in mountainous regions", climate change is hitting landlocked countries hard — therefore, the third priority is to strengthen climate action. Finally, "many landlocked developing countries are trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and underinvestment", he noted, calling for affordable and long-term financing, the mobilization of private capital and tax cooperation.
Philémon Yang (Cameroon), President of the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, then declared that 2025 is a "year of years". The UN celebrates its eightieth anniversary, and only five years remain until the deadline the international community set for itself through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development arrives. "This moment," he stressed, "demands a renewed commitment to multilateralism and our foundational values." Noting that there are 32 landlocked developing countries with a combined population of 570 million, he observed that — while each has its unique challenges — "their aspirations are universal". He added that, while these countries lack access to the sea, they "must never lack access to opportunity, prosperity and hope".
Vital Role of Landlocked Developing Countries in Regional Supply Chains
"The Awaza Programme of Action is a bold, ambitious, actionable and future-oriented blueprint," said Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal), President of the Economic and Social Council’s eightieth session. Highlighting the vital role of regional cooperation, he added that "landlocked developing countries are key links in regional supply chains"; therefore, it is crucial to deepen collaboration with transit countries and regional organizations. Underscoring the importance of establishing an Infrastructure Investment Facility for Landlocked Developing Countries, he added that the upcoming Decade of Sustainable Transport is a "timely opportunity to make transport a true driver of sustainable development".
Pointing to the significant investment gap in this area, he said: "In Asia and the Pacific alone, transport infrastructure needs are estimated at 43ドル trillion by 2035." Landlocked developing countries need enhanced international cooperation, increased private investment, blended finance, greater access to concessional resources and sustainable debt solutions. He also echoed the call for scaled-up climate finance and accelerated technology transfer. Noting that Nepal is a landlocked country, as well as one of the least developed countries, he stressed: "Let us ensure that no country is left behind because of geography."
Calls for Financial and Technical Assistance, Knowledge Transfer
Next, Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan — speaking for the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries — stressed that "our countries are experiencing similar challenges" despite their differences. And, while relevant programmes of action resulted from previous conferences in Almaty and Vienna, landlocked developing countries "are still being left on the sidelines of the global economy", he said. Interlinked challenges — military conflicts, global economic shocks, debt burdens, climate instability and growing inequality — "are hardest hitting our countries", he stressed.
Now, gathered on the banks of the Caspian Sea, the international community can learn lessons from the past and develop a plan to help landlocked developing countries fully participate in global growth. Underlining the need for financial and technical assistance, as well as knowledge transfer, he said: "We are convinced that the answer to the challenges faced by [landlocked developing countries] lies in unifying efforts at a global level." For its part, he reported that Kyrgyzstan has worked to improve international roadways, build modern airports and establish a railway connecting it with China and Uzbekistan. "For our country, this is strategically important to overcome our transportation isolation," he said.
Sepp Schellhorn, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, then addressed this Conference as representative of the previous one. Multilateral cooperation "is part of our DNA", he emphasized, recalling that Austria hosted the second UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries 10 years ago. Austria, he said, has prioritized supporting landlocked developing countries since then, and has allocated 130ドル million in official development assistance in 2025 to ongoing projects in those countries. Noting that regional integration and working with the private sector were key drivers of his country’s economic success, he urged: "Our focus must shift to implementation."
Awaza Programme of Action: Ambitious Road Map with Over 323 Concrete Initiatives
The Awaza Programme of Action, said Rabab Fatima — High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and Secretary-General of the Conference — "is a bold and ambitious blueprint to transform the development landscape for the 32 landlocked developing countries for the next decade". For too long, those countries have been defined by their remoteness, inaccessibility and lack of access to the sea. "But that is only part of the story," she emphasized, as while they may be landlocked, they are "not opportunity-locked". Rather, they are States rich in resources, resilience and ambition, and the Awaza Programme of Action provides the tools to unlock their full potential.
"We arrive in Awaza with momentum on our side," she noted, as a UN-wide road map and monitoring framework has been created with over 323 "concrete initiatives" to benefit such States. "Bridging the infrastructure and connectivity gap remains our top priority," she stressed, spotlighting efforts to "plug the gaps and pave the roads". She also underlined the need to accelerate economic transformation and growth, as well as to ensure freedom of transit for these countries to "overcome the heavy cost of being landlocked". Stressing that "the legacy of this Conference will not be measured in words" — but in built roads, opened trade corridors and a closed digital divide — she urged: "Let us chart a new path where ‘land-linked’ is not just a phrase, but a way of life."