KATHMANDU: Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli is leaving for Turkmenistan today to attend the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs).
The delegation, led by Prime Minister Oli, will leave for Turkmenistan via Dubai on Sunday night at 11:55 PM on a FlyDubai flight, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Oli met with President Ram Chandra Poudel to inform him of his upcoming visit.
The conference will be held in the city of Avaza from August 5 to 8, following a formal invitation from Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the conference as the Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau for the Least Developed Countries. He will also co-chair a high-level roundtable and participate in various other sessions, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nepal currently holds the chairmanship of the LLDC group. The conference will be attended by representatives from 32 landlocked developing countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, collectively home to around 440 million people.
It will focus on challenges related to lack of direct access to the sea, remoteness, and isolation from global markets.
Since these countries rely on transit through neighboring states for international trade, the conference aims to improve their competitiveness by addressing issues such as additional border crossings, long distances to major markets, complex transit procedures, and inadequate infrastructure — all of which increase transportation and transaction costs.
During the conference, Prime Minister Oli will meet with heads of delegations, senior United Nations officials, and representatives from other international organizations.
The Nepali delegation includes Radhika Shakya, Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, House of Representatives member Surya Bahadur Thapa Chhetri, Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Rajesh Bajracharya, Personal Physician Prof. Dr. Divya Singh Shah, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amrit Bahadur Rai, senior government officials, official media personnel, and security staff. Prime Minister Oli is expected to return on the night of August 8.
Landlocked developing countries face significant challenges in international trade, connectivity, and economic development due to the lack of direct territorial access to the sea. Isolated from global markets and often lacking adequate transport and food infrastructure, these nations confront serious obstacles in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The third conference seeks to address these issues by fostering innovative solutions, strategic partnerships, and increased investments, while evaluating the full potential of these countries.
The Second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries took place in Vienna, Austria, from November 3 to 5, 2014. That conference reviewed the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action and discussed policies related to international, regional, and national trade and transit transport cooperation, transit systems, and emerging challenges.
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