KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli returned home at midnight on Friday after participating in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), held in Turkmenistan.
He was welcomed at the VIP lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, Chief of Army Staff, heads of security agencies, and senior government officials. On the occasion, the Nepali Army presented a guard of honour to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Oli attended the conference at the formal invitation of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The event was held from August 20 to 23 in the city of Awaza, Turkmenistan.
Addressing the conference as Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau for Least Developed Countries, Prime Minister Oli also co-chaired a high-level roundtable and spoke at various sessions.
A total of 32 landlocked developing countries from Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America participated in the event. Key issues discussed included limited access to sea routes, trade barriers, inadequate infrastructure, and high transport and transaction costs that hinder these countries’ integration into the global market.
According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference focused on improving the competitiveness of LLDCs by addressing these constraints and finding ways to overcome their geographical disadvantages through improved transit procedures, cross-border cooperation, and infrastructure development.
On the sidelines, Prime Minister Oli held bilateral meetings with heads of delegations, senior UN officials, and representatives of international organizations to further Nepal’s diplomatic and development agenda.
The conference is considered significant in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for LLDCs, which often struggle to benefit from global trade due to their isolation from major transport networks and ports.
Participants emphasized the need for strategic investments and partnerships to unlock the economic potential of LLDCs, enhance connectivity, and promote inclusive growth. The event underscored the importance of building a more equitable and prosperous global future for landlocked nations.
The previous (Second) UN LLDC Conference was held in Vienna, Austria, from November 3 to 5, 2014. It focused on trade and transit cooperation policies and reviewed the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action.
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