Oriented on making people closer

The Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries is taking place in Avaza. Numerous delegates of the representative forum have gathered on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to find solutions to help such countries (LLDC - Landlocked developing countries) overcome the obstacles they face due to their geographical location.

At the beginning of the meeting, the participants were welcomed by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Third Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

He spoke about his country's initiatives aimed at strengthening international cooperation in the field of healthcare, combating climate change and addressing environmental problems, including those related to the drying up of the Aral Sea and the shallowing of the Caspian Sea - the largest closed water body, on the coast of which the current conference is taking place.

Speaking at the opening of the forum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on participants to adopt a view that geography should not determine destiny.

The 32 landlocked countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America continue to face dangerous challenges: high trade barriers, high transport costs and limited access to global markets, the Secretary-General said. And this is a clear example of deep inequality that leads to marginalization, Guterres said, explaining this situation by an unfair global economic and financial architecture that does not correspond to the realities of the modern interconnected world, as well as the legacy of colonialism.

The task facing the Conference participants is to find solutions to all these problems. We are talking about the beginning of a new decade of ambition - thanks to the Avaza Action Program and its practical results, Guterres noted. In his speech, UN General Assembly President Philemon Young recalled the rapidly approaching deadline for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the need for decisive action and a commitment to multilateralism.

The UN General Assembly President said that the General Assembly recently established the International Day of Awareness of Landlocked States Issues to be observed annually on 6 August. Young also noted the importance of monitoring the implementation of the Avaza Action Program and preparing for its review in 2029.

Speaking at the Avaza Conference, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Lok Bahadur Thapa called the forum a “turning point” for 32 countries seeking to overcome structural barriers to development.

Representing Nepal, a country that is both a least developed country and a landlocked country, Thapa stressed the importance of regional cooperation and sustainable transport. He thanked Turkmenistan for its leadership and reaffirmed ECOSOC’s commitment to implementing the Avaza Action Program, including on food security, youth empowerment and climate action.

The overall objective, according to keynote speakers, is to launch a new decade of ambition that will enable landlocked countries to turn vulnerability into opportunities.

ORIENT

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