21ST Annual Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Landlocked Developing Countries

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Thursday, 22 September 2022 - 10:00am to 1:00pm

Theme: Accelerating implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and building momentum towards the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

Background

LLDCs continue to face multiple developmental challenges due to their lack of direct access to the sea. They face relatively high trade costs compared to their transit neighbors, undiversified economies and export markets and low and undiversified foreign direct investment. The COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented socio-economic impact has further exacerbated the LLDCs challenges and threatens to reverse progress achieved over the year.

As the international community embarks on continuous efforts to recover from the pandemic, a transformative recovery aimed at building LLDCs’ long-term resilience is critical. The Ministerial meeting aims to review the implementation of the VPoA, the Political Declaration of the Midterm Review and the Roadmap for accelerated implementation of the VPoA, while assessing the lingering effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic and kickstarting preparations for the Third United Nations Conference on LLDCs to be held in 2024.

Objectives

The key objectives of the Ministerial Meeting include the following:

Review the progress made by the LLDCs in the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as review progress in implementation of the Roadmap for the Accelerated Implementation of the VPoA, identify challenges faced and share knowledge, experiences and innovative approaches to accelerate implementation;
Discuss the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on LLDCs and current actions and plans for recovery, share national experiences and identify recommendations for sustainable recovery;
Identify opportunities for strengthening synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Decade for Action, and the Vienna Programme of Action at the national level in LLDCs, as well as regional and global levels;
Identify innovative mechanisms for partnership building and resource mobilization to accelerate the implementation of the VPoA and the achievement of the SDGs by LLDCs as well as achieving sustainable recovery from COVID-19 pandemic;
Start building momentum towards the third United Nations Conference on LLDCs;
Adopt the Ministerial Declaration.

Expected Outcome

The Ministerial Meeting will reinforce the political commitment to the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, the political declaration of the comprehensive High-Level Midterm Review and the Roadmap for accelerated implementation of the VPoA. The meeting will contribute to the discussions of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. The meeting will also share experiences on addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide recommendations for sustainable recovery. The meeting will adopt a Ministerial Declaration of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries and initiate to build momentum for the third United Nations Conference on LLDCs to be held in 2024.

Participation

The Ministerial Meeting will be attended by Ministers and High-Level officials from the 32 LLDCs. Ministers and High-Level Officials from transit developing countries, development partners and high-level representatives of the UN system and other international and regional organizations will also be invited to participate.