Rabab Fatima, second from the right. Photo: mfa.gov.tm
The third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) will take place in August in Turkmenistan, according to the state-run news agency TDX.
Rabab Fatima, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), arrived in Turkmenistan to discuss preparations for the event. On February 24, Fatima met with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to discuss organizational matters and the development of key conference documents.
The UN holds the LLDC conference every ten years. The first took place on August 28–29, 2003, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by the second from November 3–5, 2014, in Vienna, Austria. The third conference was initially scheduled for June 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda, then postponed to December in Botswana, but both plans fell through.
👉 There are 32 developing countries classified as landlocked: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Chad, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Lacking access to the sea forces LLDCs to rely on neighboring transit countries to reach international markets. This dependence increases trade and transportation costs, lengthens delivery times, and heightens vulnerability to political and economic instability in transit countries. As a result, LLDCs often experience low levels of foreign direct investment, limited export opportunities, and slower economic growth. Transportation costs for these nations are more than double those of their coastal neighbors. Additionally, many transit countries bordering LLDCs face similar economic challenges, further limiting trade between LLDCs and their neighbors.
